Women’s marchers sending message of hope

With every step, participants in women’s marches are paving the way for the future.|

They march united. They march with a message. They march for their future.

Hundreds of thousands of women across the nation will march on the day after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration day on Jan. 20, to protest his actions and words about women throughout his campaign. Started as a social media event, the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. is predicted to be one of the largest inauguration-related demonstrations in American history.

Locally, the streets of Santa Rosa and San Francisco will soon be filled with women and men influenced by a multitude of motivations from women’s rights, gay rights, gun control, race relations and many more.

After the announcement that Trump would become the next president of the United States, a man who was caught on tape degrading women and touting his ability to sexually assault them whenever he chose, was a moment of consternation, but one of awakening for Petaluman Karen Curry.

“I was shocked and upset as were many people,” said Curry, a marriage family therapist. “It was a wakeup call. I needed to make a statement.”

Curry didn’t hesitate. She bought her plane tickets for the D.C. march the second the election results rolled in. She left today.

For Curry, as for many others, the goals of the Trump administration are very personal, like that of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, who plans to defund Planned Parenthood.

“I’m concerned,” she said. “When I was young with no insurance, Planned Parenthood was there for me.”

Women’s reproductive rights is just one of many concerns Curry has for the direction of the political policies of the nation. But for Curry there is a silver lining in all this.

Curry, who does not have a history of political activism, actually calls Trump a gift. A gift of inspiration.

“He is activating people to get involved,” she said excitedly.

Aside from marching, Trump’s words also inspired Curry to bring together a small group of Petalumans, men and women, who are passionate about making local change. The group is appropiately named, “Time for Action.”

For another Petaluman woman, Michele Larkey, the need to do something was so strong, it influenced her to make a brave, and somewhat uncommon decision that has opened an entirely new chpater of her life. Larkey quit her job as an educator to dedicate full-time to the goals of “Time for Action.”

What put Larkey into action as she said, was the idea that, “We are all one United States of America.”

An idea she feels has gotten lost along the way.

Larkey doesn’t consider her stance to be a political one, but one of equality and human rights, regardless of party affiliation.

“It’s not us versus them,” she said. “We are all in this together.”

Larkey talked about sitting next to people at her Thanksgiving dinner who voted for Trump, but not allowing herself to disassociate from them. Instead, she wants to heal the divide and find common ground. One of her first steps-attending the Santa Rosa march.

“Whatever I can do to begin to heal the cleave, then I’ll do it,” she said.

Healing is where hope begins, which Larkey said she has although she is well aware there will be struggle. As Larkey said, just like the women’s rights movement of the 1970s, the women’s marches across the country on Jan.21 will pave the way for all women and men.

The message of these Petaluma women, yes is to protest discrimination against women and to advocate for civil rights, but more importantly, it is to remind everyone that we are all Americans and that democracy and equal rights is for all, not just those who voted for Trump.

As Curry said, “Away we go.”

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.