Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST
Women's March Washington Jan 2017
https://www.facebook.com/359697407526169/photos/?tab=album&album_id=726682457494327
Other photos from March by Duffy
By Tammy Duffy, PhD
They thought about 200,000 would come.
The number of people who came were 1.3 million and counting to Washington DC, on January 21, for the Women's March on Washington. They came from all walks of life and places in the United States. I spent time speaking with a lot of women, including the homeless on the street. The homeless had the best stories as to why they were at the march. They had the most hope for America.
In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us. "Women’s March ‘Mission & Vision’"
The women and men who walked did so to honor those female warriors before us--the suffragettes, women’s libbers trailblazers like Margaret Thatcher, Condelleza Rice, Hillary Clinton and others―and give voice to their concerns in a new era. I marched because I am concerned. I am concerned about Women's rights. I did not march to de-legitimize the presidency. I marched to better understand everyone's position. I am a republican who struggled on who to vote for this election. I did vote. As a scientist I like a more analytical approach to decisions. Selfishly, I want to see this type of decision making with our new administration.
I grew up in the hood. My grandparents lived in East Trenton, NJ. My parents lived in the attic of my one grandparents home when they first got married for year. My Father had his own business and actually did a lot of the steel construction for President Trump's casinos in Atlantic City. I grew up learning how to appreciate that a hard day at work can reap many rewards. My parents had no money to send me to college, yet I was able to achieve a PhD in Health Physics. America is a land of great possibility.If you have passion and time you can do anything no matter how much money you have.
I am concerned with the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood believes in the fundamental right of each individual, throughout the world, to manage his or her fertility, regardless of the individual's income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence. PP believes that respect and value for diversity in all aspects of life is essential to our well-being. They also believe that reproductive self-determination must be voluntary and preserve the individual's right to privacy. The government should not be involved in this. Planned Parenthood's ability to train families on the enhancement of the quality of life and strong family relationships is key to a families success. The key to a childs success. The key to America's success.
Planned Parenthood also provides comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services in settings which preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual. They act as an advocate to public policies which guarantee these rights and ensure access to such services. Their ability to provide educational programs which enhance understanding of individual and societal implications of human sexuality. The video controversy damaged their brand. The videos are believed to be doctored. Who knows the real truth. What I do know is that PP has given the women in the disparate communities of the United States their only resource for healthcare and knowledge for sexual health, etc. Taking this away will severely damage the health care costs and well being of millions in the United States. The communities that utilize these resources are the very people who have the highest health risks. The education for birth control, HIV/AIDS care and prevention, or medically accurate sexuality education are now defunded for PP. This means open access to safe, legal, affordable abortion and birth control for all people, regardless of income, location or education is viewed as not important to defund it.
Ivanka Trump wants to focus on women's issues. Yet, I have never seen or heard that she has visited the bowels of the inner cities to learn what the real issues are for the middle and lower class of America. She needs to come and visit us. She grew up very privileged, she cannot have a clear understanding or background on the real issues that mid and lower class America has. This is not to criticize her, but to guide her on how to develop programs that work and are sustainable. We want her to help us and the only way to do that is to visit us.
Women can change a society. We have seen this globally with the implementation of microfunds in poverty stricken countries to women and they transform their communities.
Women in America are still 35 percent more likely than men to be poor in America, with single mothers facing the highest risk. Currently, 35 percent of single women with children live and raise their families in poverty.
Despite composing nearly half of the workforce, women account for 60 percent of the nation’s lowest paid workers. The salaries for the vast majority of jobs held by women, in industries such as retail and hospitality, are consistently lower than in traditionally male career paths, such as construction, engineering, and energy. For this reason, Legal Momentum is working to expand women’s pathways into non-traditional work, which promises stronger salaries, stable benefits, and a pathway from poverty to prosperity.
Women and children account for over 70 percent of the nation’s poor. Unfortunately, the nation’s anti-poverty and safety net programs have repeatedly failed to take into account the reality of women’s lives and provide sufficient provisions for helping women and families escape poverty. Until very recently, and as is still the case in many states, unemployment insurance in most states was limited to full-time workers, leaving part-time workers – the vast majority of whom are women – with no assistance if they lost their jobs. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the country’s main program for addressing family poverty, does not provide enough support to prevent acute material hardships – like hunger, homelessness, and utility cut-offs – for the families that rely on it. Work requirements for women with very young children create even higher hurdles. With women accounting for over 90 percent of adult TANF recipients, reforming this program is critical to alleviating women’s poverty.
There are 11.5 million single-mothers in America. While women’s workforce participation has increased, the supply of affordable child care has lagged far behind, meaning that many single moms literally cannot afford to work or have to spend a large share of their meager income on childcare.
More than one in eight women, more than 16.9 million, lived in poverty last year. Poverty rates were particularly high for families headed by single mothers — 1 in 3 (36.5 percent) lived in poverty. More than half of all poor children (56.2 percent) lived in female-headed families in 2015.
Poverty Rates in District of Columbia
Women: 16.3%
Female- Headed Families: 40.3%
Black women: 23.9%
Hispanic women: 11.3%
Asian women: 15.8%
Native American women: -
Women 65 and older: 15.0%
Children: 25.6%
Poverty Rates in New Jersey
Women: 10.6%
Female-headed families: 33.6%
Asian women: 7.4%
Black women: 17.2%
Hispanic women: 21.0%
Native American women: 16.9%
Women 65 and older: 9.0%
Children: 15.6%
https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Poverty-State-by-State-2016.pdf
I do agree that some of the posters women, men and children were carrying during the march were vulgar. There is nothing to gain in that level of vulgarity. Two wrongs do not make a right. I found it disturbing when I saw 10 year old girls walking with their Mom's and the 10 year old was holding a sign that said, "Don't touch my pussy." That kind of parenting is not parenting, it was simple craziness to see that.
Fortunately only a few people out of the 1.3 million that attended the march could actually hear the celebrities. The celebrities do not matter. Their voices for the most part are heard only that day, and do not influence or help inhibit a change. There are some that do make a difference, but not every day of their life. Where the celebrities were positioned you could not get near that area on the side of the museum so the vast majority never heard their rhetoric. There is nothing to gain in their vulgarity either.
When you speak to women who went to other marches that day there is a unique thing that happened at all the marches. There was no pushing and shoving, everyone was in a positive energetic mood and there was lots of love in the air. At every march. That alone is simply magnificient. Imagine taking that level of passion, you could change the world.
Women's rights are human rights. We need to continue to fight for equal rights and not have reversed Roe Vs Wade. Individual choice matters, its our constitutional right. We need to passionately assert that we will not rest until we ensure that women have the right to control our own bodies, that with hard work and diligence we can break the glass ceilings of our choosing, that we will not tolerate sexual harassment, bullying, and assault by strangers and acquaintances alike, either in color. It is our moral imperative to dismantle the gender and racial inequities within the criminal justice system. It's not ok. Women need to speak up when they are not at marches. I have watched women in corporate America put up with horrible situations for they are afraid to open their mouths about a sexual harassment in workplace. There are too many times that a company does not address it, even when a complaint is filed. That company is worse than the harasser in my opinion when they refuse to address it. Women need to not be afraid and stand their position and demand action.
There has to be an economy powered by transparency, accountability, security and equity. All women should be paid equitably, with access to affordable childcare, sick days, healthcare, paid family leave, and healthy work environments. We can only hope that this is addressed with the new administration. All workers – including domestic and farm workers, undocumented and migrant workers - must have the right to organize and fight for a living minimum wage. There are numerous farmers who hire undocumented workers to harvest their crops. They are not paying them what they should. This needs to be corrected.
Civil Rights are our birthright, including voting rights, freedom to worship without fear of intimidation or harassment, freedom of speech, and protections for all citizens regardless of race, gender, age or disability. We believe it is time for an all-inclusive Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Every American should feel their voice matters, all the time. To silence the press, the American public is not what democracy is about. There is no doubt there is so much press tht is dishonest. It is rather disturbing. I do more fact checking with my blog than newspapers do with the articles they print.
During yesterday's march people chanted,"This is what a Democracy looks like." I felt so proud to be an American yesterday. The inspiration I left DC with yesterday is electric. I did not just march, I want to make a difference for women in America. I wantour new administration to view the march in DC yesterday as women supporting change. We want positive change and a voice when changes are made.
I try to live every day in solidarity. I believe in social justice, conversations can’t just stop because they’re inconvenient. Everyone must speak up and hold their feet firmly to the ground or change cannot happen. If you change nothing, nothing changes.
It's the courageous conversations that women have that opens dialogues with people and groups. We need to get the youth of America integrated in making change. They are not just our future, they are our present. How do we create space for them?
The rhetoric of the past election cycle was insulting from both sides to the American public. We are now confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear. The global marches clearly sent a message. In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington sent a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We want to stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us. We want to work together to direct America into the right direction. Everyone needs to embrace each other or we cannot succeed.
There were some poignant messages in President Trump's inauguration address:
We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.
Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to another – but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.
And this, the United States of America, is your country.
I will fight for you with every breath in my body – and I will never, ever let you down.
When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.
There should be no fear – we are protected, and we will always be protected
You will never be ignored again.
Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.
The American public needs President Trump to live up to these words. They are very powerful words. They are great words. There will be decisions made that the American public may not like.
It will always be important for our new President to let the American public understand the "why" a decision is made. The politicians of America never to do this. If the 'why" is shared,ie. defunding Planned Parenthood, the possible (as being reported in the press, not sure if this is correct) defunding of the National Endowment of the Arts, etc, Americans better understand the decisions. President Trump was elected because the American public is fed up with the status quo in Washington. They wanted drastic change. He is representative of that drastic change.
President Trump needs to be given a chance to change our country whether you voted for him or not. The damage that has been done over the past decade to America is monumental by career politicians who only care about their own pocketbooks and not the American public. I recently sent a letter to 10 NJ politicians on a critical safety issue in my town. We have gotten ZERO response from all 10 politicians. That is disgraceful. This is that status quo in our government though.
It will not take overnight to fix and course correct America. The correct facts are important. The way the information is shared with the press and American public is important. The American public is important. I want the leader of our free world to positively impact the rest of my life and those younger than me.
To use the words of our President.. with only subtle alteration...
TO all of our people, we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People. The United States of America, is your country.
I will fight for you with every breath in my body – and I will never, ever let you down.
There should be no fear – we are protected, and we will always be protected.
God Bless America and the new President of the USA, President Donald Trump. We want our country back. Fight for us, keep us safe and protected.
