The 2017 Women's March gave me hope after the 2016 election left me heartbroken. While there are valid critiques of the march and which ideologies should have stood at the forefront, being there was a terrific revival of spirit. In the one year since, I have:
One of the more colorful signs from the 2018 Women's March.
- Attended the second Women's March (more specifically I joined the procession to the White House).
- Protested the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act at Capitol Hill.
- Tweeted (and refreshed my own news feed a lot).
- Received daily mail and email from Planned Parenthood, ACLU and/or Southern Poverty Law Center (and mostly shredded or deleted it).
- Bought a Maxine Waters T-shirt.
It's like I've bought a Resistance membership, but am simply sitting in the auditorium of change. I like the rhetoric and even the fashionable look, but am yet to become a catalyst. Am I simply following a trend?
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake speaks at the Jan. United State of Women Cocktails and Conversations.
Former Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake reflected on this sentiment during the Jan. 10 United State of Women Cocktails and Conversation event. She said the current wave of activism almost feels like a commodity, and she is interested in seeing it sustained when it's no longer on trend.
One frank piece of advice from the former mayor - be honest with yourself about what you are willing to do.
So, for me, how do I marry that thirst for change with my skills? I think it's strategic storytelling, and one mission for 2018 is to find a place to apply those skills.
I love that women through movements like #MeToo and Time's Up are speaking their truth. I am especially interested in the connections with entertainment and activism, one of the intersections that has always interested me.