The Untold War of the Women’s March

I remember when the “Grab them by the pussy” recording was released. I told myself, “Whew. Glad that’s over with. No way he’s gonna win now.” I remember when watching the presidential debates along with millions of other viewers, and hearing Trump say on national TV that he will look to appoint a Supreme Court Justice who will help overturn Roe vs. Wade. Again. I told myself, “Whew. OK. Good. No way he’s gonna win now. Wayyyyy too many women will vote against him in addition to all the other demographics that he has no chance of winning.” I was wrong. It needs to be addressed why this assumption was wrong, and who made it wrong.

Anybody who is marching against Trump who did everything in their power to stop him, specifically at the ballot, has my utmost respect. But the fact of the matter is they are not marching against Trump. Because Trump did not put himself in office. They are marching against those who did…yes, including millions of women, including a white demographic where the majority did just that. So you’ll forgive me if I see more than a cumbaya moment, but an untold story.

I hate labels, categorizations, and generalizations. It is both unfair and inaccurate to say , “White women put Trump in office.” Every white woman is an individual the same as any other human being. Millions of white women did everything they could to stop Trump, just like women of all colors. Furthermore there are plenty of minorities who voted for Trump, even if not the majority. But even though I may be against labels, the fact is many people are not. Many people are die-hard conservatives and that comes before anything else. Furthermore, in this particular election, many people consider themselves a white citizen first, and everything else becomes secondary. The question is, what makes the white female demographic’s interests and motivation for voting this way different than the other demographics and how does that affect the feminist movement? It supports the notion that white women don’t feel as threatened by Trump as others, OR they prioritize other issues more than the issues I already listed. So while many may share my view on individuality and anti-grouping, others live by it. And more importantly, the system itself is well aware of what your label is. And by this standard, the majority of white female voters feel less threatened by the same administration than many other women (including other white women) consider a grave threat to their liberties. Those who put him into office knew full well where he stood on women’s issues and his treatment of them….but something was more important. There is a female solidarity against Trump, but it is not an all-inclusive one. The bigger battle that isn’t being recorded is the lack of female solidarity that led to this. This issue is far, far more divisive than it seems. This reality is what should be targeted above all else. In doing so, maybe he won’t be elected again. Because it isn’t Washington or Trump that is going to do something about this man having power, it is your peer that you may not feel comfortable talking to about sensitive topics.

Yesterday I observed that out of those marchers, statistically, some of them probably voted for Trump. Someone replied that “people can change their mind.” Seeming to imply that she was one of those who changed their minds. She’s right. But the time to fight against Trump where it matters is gone for the next four years. That battle has already been lost. So to those who have changed their minds and to those who have had their minds made up about Trump all along: keep marching. But make sure you also march to your phone and talk to your friend who is voting Trump and get to know what makes them tick and remind them of the issues that are at stake. Make sure you march to the comments section when you see someone is pro-Trump and create a dialogue with them, instead of avoiding conflict because its awkward. And most importantly, make sure you march to the ballot to protect the rights and liberties of your fellow citizens in 2020. Until then, it is women marching against other women whose priorities are not as similar as they are being portrayed to be. And though the entire gender may seem to be all together on these pictures spread over the internet, the facts show that they are marching in two completely different directions.