I woke up on the morning of November 8, 2016, thinking we were electing our first female president. I went to bed – bleary-eyed and with my pantsuit rumpled – realizing we had elected an unrepentant misogynist instead.
Like so many women, I was distraught. What did this say about our country and our system of values? What did this mean for women and for a woman’s right to choose?
But we didn’t just get sad, we didn’t just get mad – we got busy.
On January 21st, 2017 – one day after Trump’s inauguration – millions of women and enlightened men came together around the globe for the Women’s March. We turned our anger into action. We turned our outrage into a movement for real and lasting change. We turned an off-color brag about grabbing women’s private parts into an iconic pink knit hat.
In the days, weeks and months to come, we became activists, organizers, candidates. In 2018, we became newly elected officials in record numbers at the local, state and federal level.
It’s now 2020, and still we march. Because this day – the Women’s March – cements our belief in the power of sisterhood. This march fortifies us for the hard work ahead.
Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D- Laguna Beach)
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