Fighting Fire With Love
By Bailee Kinney
Imagine looking around you in every direction to discover that you are surrounded by thousands and thousands of other bright, hope-filled faces, knowing that you are all there for the same reason: equality.
On Saturday, January 21, 2017, I joined and estimated 10,000 brothers and sisters who met in Portland to march together as one. We were not marching against anything. We marched to support basic values: safety, love and equality for every person in our country.
I had heard about the Sisters March via Facebook just days prior. I'll admit, I was very apprehensive about going out to march. I am a very passionate woman who wants nothing more than to get my point across about the hurt and fear I feel these days, but I couldn't help but worry about what I would see or experience. Despite these feelings, I woke up bright and early, along with three of my close friends to exercise our rights and make history.
When we arrived, we were shocked instantly by the amount of people, all genders, ages, races and sexual orientations, who were just as emotion-filled and excited to be there as we were. Looking around, we saw passion and dedication in every form imaginable; there were costumes and signs that made you laugh, but we also saw ones that struck us in indescribable ways. When you look to your left and see an 80-year-old woman holding a sign that says, "after all we've been through, we're not going back now," and when you look to your right and see a boy no older than three holding a sign that states "proud feminist," you start to get the feeling that something good is truly happening.
From start to finish, there wasn't a person without a smile on their face. The overwhelming feelings of love, safety and trust I had for the people around me was one of the most comforting feelings I have ever experienced. While we did run into a situation or two with people protesting against our march, they had no effect on us whatsoever. I felt nothing but support and acceptance, and that was the main goal of the Sisters March. Yes, we were there to express the concerns we had for women in our country, but we weren't stopping there. The march was meant to create a safety net for anyone and everyone who had any doubts or uneasiness at such a stressful and disappointing time for our country. Knowing that other women and men all over the country, and all over the world, were uniting in the same way made the feelings that much stronger.
The march was the end of our sulking and sadness. We are ready to fight back. I have never been more proud to be a woman than I was on January 21, 2017 – or today and tomorrow.