I am so inspired to see how many people all around the world showed up to The Women's March Movement. It filled my heart and gave me hope. Obama was right when he said, "I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change — but in yours." This movement shows us that we do have that power to make a change. Women in America have a lot more rights and freedoms than a lot of women all around the world, so it made me happy to see Women Marches in other countries around the world too. I hope women in other countries get the rights, freedom, and respect that they deserve soon! But that does not mean that America does not have room for improvement too. I was really bummed that I did not go to any of the Women's Marches after seeing how empowering it was for so many people and after realizing that there were marches near me too. I plan on participating in future marches regarding these topics. I'm determined to make it happen next time. I am also determined to make a difference. I decided to research other ways I could make a difference and I found the 10 Actions in 100 Days Challenge on the Women's March web page. The first action was to write a post card to your senator about what matters to you. The post card was hard to print out and I had too much to say because all of the issues in the Women's March Movement matter to me. So here is my letter to the Senator:
I’m a supporter of the # WomensMarch movement. I’m from Charleston, South Carolina. I’m concerned about making our community, a safe, free, and healthy environment for all women- including women of every race, women of every socioeconomic background, women of every religious belief’s and women of every sexual preference. This also includes women who are trans, women who are native, women who are immigrants and women who are disabled. Feminist movements like these are not only for women, equality benefits all men too. To help improve our country, we first have to help improve our local community. To ensure a safe, free, and healthy environment for all, I think our community need to combat violence, always allow access of quality reproductive healthcare, protect the rights of the LGBTQIA community, improve worker’s rights, defend civil and immigrant rights, enhance disability rights, and preserve the environment.
I am concerned about violence, especially those directed at labels of race, gender sexuality, disability, and religion, because everyone deserves to live their lives without being in fear of violence against their bodies. I hope our community will make sure that our criminal justice system will take accountability and justice very serious against violence caused by discrimination, prejudice, and/ or police brutality. I am lucky to not be a victim of violence but I know there are many who have not been as lucky as me and that is not okay.
Protecting reproductive rights is another concern I think should be important to our community. Cuts and restrictions to the access of dependable reproductive healthcare services such as HIV/AIDS testing and prevention, birth control, and accurate sexual education should not be acceptable. Abortion should be available, especially in the cases of rape, incest, medical conditions that will cause the mother harm if she gives birth or there are complications with fetal development. Access must be affordable, safe and legal to all because all women deserve to have control over their bodies and everyone deserves to have bodies that are healthy.
The right and acceptance of sexual preference and gender should be important to our community as well, including rights of those who are lesbian, gay, bi, trans or non-conforming. I have many friends that this impacts and I think everyone deserves to be able to love whoever they want to love. No one deserves to be criticized or rejected because of their sexual preference or the way they want to be identified.
Improving worker’s rights is a significant issue to improve our state. Equal pay, sick days/ family leave days, health care, and affordable childcare should be available for all workers. I think it is important that everyone has the opportunity to fight for a minimum wage they could live off of and I think our community should think it is important too. There are too many people who are poor and homeless in our community.
Civil rights such as voting rights, religious rights, and freedom of speech should be defended for all people in this community. No one should be in fear of being bullied, intimidated, or in fear that these rights being taken away for any reason. Immigrants should have these rights too because everyone should have the freedom to migrate with the exception of criminals. We all came from immigrants at one point or another in history. Our rights need to be all-inclusive.
Inclusiveness in our community should include people who have disabilities. This is an issue that is close to my heart because I have Cerebral Palsy and I feel like disability rights is a topic that is not always advocated as much as the other issues. I have also volunteered and worked at a camp for children, teens, and young adults who have physical or mental conditions for many years, Camp Burnt Gin. Camp Burnt gin has been struggling to fight to keep funding for years. I find this extremely disheartening because of the significance Camp Burnt Gin has for all those involved. Camp Burnt Gin is one of the only places that the campers get to feel important, loved unconditionally, and included, without being judged or mistreated. It would be heart breaking to so many if anything happened to that camp and this is why I believe to improve our community we need to break the barriers between people of abilities and those who have disabilities to ensure access, inclusion, acceptance and independence to those who have physical or mental conditions.
Environmental justice and preservation of our environment is something that everyone, no matter where they live in our community, deserves. Clean water and clean air should be a necessity, not a luxury. Our environment should not be taken for granted especially not at the expense to other people's health or safety. We need our environment to be healthy for us to be healthy.
To live safe, healthy, and free lives I think our community need to combat violence, guard access of quality reproductive healthcare, protect the rights of the LGBTQIA, improve worker’s rights, defend civil and immigrant rights, enhance disability rights and preserve our environment. I intend to continue to fight against these issues through participating in protests and other events of #Women’s March Movement, as well as speaking up in my every day life when I witness injustice. Thank you so much Senator for taking the time to read my concerns. In the first 100 days of the new administration, I hope you understand and take these concerns seriously.
Sincerely,
Taylor Feigl
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