Originally posted on the Kinesis blog on January 21, 2017.
Let me begin by stating very clearly that I love my individual sisters who’ve chosen to march in DC today and admire their convictions. I am here for what them and what they feel and what they support and all of their reasons for participating.
But I’m not here for the march itself at all, personally. It goes even beyond refusing to stand in solidarity with folk who don’t stand in solidarity with me and my Blackness or the places in which my Blackness and womanhood intersect, albeit part of it. They proved that with their votes and further proved it with their support of Hillary Clinton. I was never with her.
But it’s also an unfortunately contradictory capitalist display of literal day late and dollar short. Not a single solitary soul who’s being protested cares or has to care. It displays literally nothing but a last ditch message of, “whatever we did or didn’t do before didn’t work so we just need to vent at this point.” I would have more believed the riots and protests by yt folks, yesterday that at least in some way attempted to disrupt the inauguration. They did so though, knowing they wouldn’t receive the same consequences as others, or not caring if they would or not. Or not even considering any of that. What a psychological luxury.
But in essence, that’s what protest and march is supposed to do. Disrupt. Not just demonstrate disagreement. That’s a coping mechanism that makes you feel like you did something. A very very expensive coping mechanism. It has to cost a lot to produce. It is something to say, “I was there,” like Woodstock and I’m not evolved enough perhaps to indulge in things like that, as much. Maybe that’s a comfort zone that I need to grow out of, and take part.
But I do believe in light coming from every situation. I can only hope that those who attend will make connections that will inspire them for service projects ahead, enable them to create change, and that any proceeds will be donated somehow and that local small businesses and Black owned businesses and service providers have been able to profit somehow, even if it just meant extra hours for their bus route. And if you’re a yt woman at this march who didnt vote for Trump or Hillary then the yelling you need to do isn’t at the white house, it is at your coworkers, neighbors, friends and relatives.