Women's March 2018

In some ways I can't believe it's been an entire year since the Women's March in Washington, and in some ways it feels as if that was ages ago. The pussy hats were back and a lot of the sentiments were the same this year, but the mood of this year's women's march in New York felt notably different.

People are still hopeful, but we're tired. We've survived a year that felt like several, during which time sometimes seemed to run backwards at an alarming rate. But at the same time we've also kept moving forward, and every day since has felt like an extension of the Women's March.

Every woman that has spoken up and been brave enough to say #metoo is marching this country forward. Every man that has believed those women enough to look inward and examine how he treats others is marching forward. Every little girl who grows up believing that she can do great things not in spite of her sex, but because of it is marching us all forward.

I think you can draw a direct line from the Trump administration to the #metoo movement, and I think you can track marked progress from the last Women's March. Things are far from perfect, obviously, but I think it's wise to acknowledge that progress occurs in both leaps and baby steps, both of which are essential to affecting lasting change. 

Sure, New York can feel like a bubble but I resist that characterization because I think it too easily dismisses what New York does so very right. Every single day that I've lived here, I've come in contact with people who don't look like me, speak like me, or live like me. And every single day I realize more and more that we're all just people—annoying, busy, lazy, energetic, loving, flawed, exceptional, average, beautiful, strange, boring people. 

The Women's March is not the answer to all of our problems, but it's nice to feel hopeful for a few hours and to be surrounded by so many strong, passionate and compassionate humans. It's refreshing to be part of a movement where women are not only speaking up for themselves, but maybe, just maybe, people are actually starting to listen.