Today I Wear Red

As I'm sure most everyone is aware,  today is International Women's day and has been dubbed "A Day Without A Woman". Women have been encouraged not to go to work today, to wear red to show support, and to avoid shopping or to support only small businesses that are women or minority owned. Now I'm not overly political, I've never protested or marched, and today I go to work.  I don't go to work as a sign that I'm against this woman's strike or anything like that, I go to work because it's Wednesday. And on Wednesday I work two jobs so I can afford the place I live and the school I go to. I go to work because the women who work at the front desk at both my jobs would be left rescheduling all my appointments and because the four women I've tutored already today would still be struggling to finish their assignments.

So today, I go to work, but today I wear red. I wear red because I support women who feel that they are still not equal. I support their right to march and protest. By the time I got out of bed today I had already read posts about how protesting won't change anything and comparing the woman's strike to a childish tantrum. I wear red because everyday people tell others that protesting is undemocratic, that not supporting a government and a president that they feel doesn't support their basic rights is unamerican. I'm sorry, but did we read the same Declaration of Independence? Because the one I read, the one that created The United States of America claims that:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

 In case you decided not to read that again, or if it was too hard to read, it means that NOTHING is more American than refusing to accept a government that does not protect you. And while I don't agree with violent demonstrations, peaceful protests and the right to "Petition the government for a redress of grievances" is guaranteed by the constitution people love to band about when they support their gun rights, but suddenly forget when it comes to things that make them uncomfortable.

To those who think that protesting, marching, or striking won't achieve anything, I hope you enjoy the right to vote, labor laws, and the advancements in civil rights that have been gained by people who refused to listen when they were told not to protest, not to march, and not to strike and who gained those rights.

So go to work today. Or stay home. Wear red. Or green. Or pink, white, orange, or any other color you choose. Go shopping. Refuse to buy anything. March, protest, strike, or refuse to take part. Whatever you do, don't let anyone tell you that it's "unamerican" or "useless". The fact that you get to choose what to do ensures that it is American and that despite the problems we face in this country: we are still free.    

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