Six Brockman Women Travel to Women’s Rally for Rights

On Jan. 21, six women from my family, aged 16 to almost 60, joined with 500,000 others from across the nation to march in Washington, D.C. We marched in solidarity with the majority of Americans who are appalled by the unqualified, unstable person who has already disgraced “the highest office in the land” with his crude actions and ignorant words.

But we are not so much marching against one person and his myriad negatives, as we are marching for the people and values we hold dear and which are now at risk. We march for our Constitution, human rights, civil liberties and the dignity and worth of all human beings. We march for clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, for all creatures great and small, all of which are crucial to the intricate and beautiful web of life.

We march for the brave women and men who came before—the suffragettes, the civil rights marchers, and all the others who fought for the rights and freedoms we enjoy, but which are now endangered. And we march for the weak and vulnerable among us, and for the core values expressed by all religions and by all people of conscience: kindness, humility and decency.

Here are the words of a few of our family members:

SYLVIA (16): I marched because I want to stand up, not just for the rights of my fellow women, but for every minority in America whose liberties are threatened by the current political trend.

ZOE (23): Not only was the march a powerful statement to the Trump Administration, but to walk with so many women and allies in this time of hate and misogyny was a healing experience.

MARINA (29): Because I want to be part of something that matters, and I know how it feels to be talked over.

TERESA (55): We represent the majority of Americans who did not want Trump to be president and who disagree with everything he stands for. We have to stand up for what is right. We have to stand up for those who will be hurt by his policies. We have to stand up for the environment, for reason, for decency.

And I march for “all of the above” and to protect our Constitution from a man who questions judicial independence, threatens freedom of the press and repeatedly attacks Americans based on their gender, race and religion. This is the beginning. Together, we shall overcome.

Terra Brockman, Congerville