Moments from the Women's March

So many of the entries I’ve read over the last couple of days have defended or attacked women’s reasons for marching or focused on extreme demonstrators that cause the reader to disconnect. 

I honor and value each person’s call to speak his or her mind, and celebrate that we live in a country with that freedom. I simply want to share a few of the moments I experienced marching in Washington, D.C. and reflect on how we can move forward.

When I first learned about the march I felt compelled to go. In the past I may have supported at home or on social media. There were many reasons people traveled to D.C. Mine was to stand for women’s equality and human rights. This time I felt that I needed to take action to show my commitment.

Our group walked 2 miles from the stadium parking lot to the march because the Metro system was overloaded with people. We called it our march to the march. Along the way I noticed yard signs with different quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.  Later in the day I asked one of the local residents about the signs. He explained that one of the members of their neighborhood group offered the signs to neighbors via email. The woman had them printed and many put them in their yards for the inauguration. Most were about peace and love. One message I keep coming back to is “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”

When we approached the rally area from the west it became apparent that we weren’t going to get anywhere close to the stage or even to hear the speeches. Moving further down toward the mall we realized that people were already spilling out of the areas that had been designated. What struck me was the volume of people and the congenial tone of the crowd. People were in good spirits, some chanting, pointing to and complimenting creative signs, talking to each other about where they had traveled from and why they were there, and being considerate in a jam-packed space. I’m not saying that none happened, but I didn’t witness any disrespectful interactions.

I saw several children with their families and applaud those parents who taught their children about our right to free speech. I don’t know these children’s names but they and their parents gave me permission to share their photos. Both messages resonated with me.

Because we couldn’t get close to the rally point, our group moved out onto the mall. We ended up next to a couple that had a radio and a bullhorn broadcasting the speeches. We followed them along and came to a point where people had created their own march route. I heard a policeman tell someone that this wasn’t the planned course but that we were welcome to walk there. I later learned that the masses had filled up the original march route to the point of immobility. We joined others to walk down Constitution Avenue moving at a snail’s pace.

Some activists atop a large truck were leading chants. “No more hate, no more fear, immigrants are welcome here!” “What does democracy look like? This is what democracy looks like!” gained large volumes from supporters. “Hey Ho Trump must go” brought less enthusiasm and some looks of frustration. There were some vulgar signs – there were some vulgar speeches – but overall the most powerful theme was taking a stand for what you believed in. My takeaway from this moment is that LOVE and HOPE are stronger than HATE and FEAR. Speaking out with a positive message invites others (and us) to listen so much more than attacking someone’s point of view. It’s OK to speak that positive message loudly – but let’s remember to listen too. We can be passionate and civil at the same time.

When rights are threatened, people wake up to what they took for granted. So what happens next?  Some will go home and be proud they did their part. It was a good first step.  For me it only affirmed my commitment to stay aware, to be an advocate when needed, and to take ACTION both in my community and the world.  I will strive to listen to different perspectives, seek collaboration, and work to make a difference where I can.

A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart - Still True in 2017

Whether or not you practice the Christian faith or consider yourself a religious person, a study of Dr. Martin Luther King’s talks offers an insight into the social and political climate of the time he lived. Dr. King preached his sermon, A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart, in 1959 at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In admiration of his timeless insight, and simultaneous disappointment in our inability to learn from history, it is as relevant today as it was fifty-eight years ago.

Reverend King began his sermon with this scripture and built the case that we must have both a tough mind and a tender heart to have justice and grace in our world. He clarified why each of these traits are equally vital.

He described the tough mind as “incisive thinking, realistic appraisal, decisive judgment… that breaks through the crust of legends and myths, and sifts the true from the false.”  He observed that it takes effort to practice hard, solid thinking and many people don’t want to work that hard.

As evidence of soft mindedness, he cited the gullibility of people to be swayed by advertising and the biased written word of the press.  This has only been amplified. Advertising is embedded in every virtual interaction and targeted to personal purchasing habits. Our children have to have the ‘right’ shoes, jeans, and jewelry to be popular or cool.  Social media structures build echo chambers that shut out “the other” and opportunities to hear different perspectives. News sources are one-sided and focus on divisiveness to gain ratings. Quotes and actions are reported out of context, and when the truth is presented days later, another exciting story overshadows the correction. His words still ring true: “Our minds are constantly being invaded by legions of half-truths, prejudices, and false facts. One of the great needs of mankind is to be lifted above the morass of false propaganda.”

He went on to talk about the fear of change and how people accept the status quo and try to preserve sameness. His context was that of segregation. Today’s context is globalization and the interdependence of local and global communities. Many cringe at the advancement of technology and international interaction.

He pointed to soft mindedness contributing to racial prejudice. He defined prejudice as pre-judging, based on fears, suspicion and misunderstandings.  He told of those who defended segregation because black people were behind academically, not recognizing that the system of segregation was the cause of that deficit. He spoke of leaders who made inflammatory statements that roused the fears and violence of the masses. What progress have we made?

But Dr. King went on to say, “Tough mindedness without tender heartedness is cold, and detached. There is nothing more tragic than to see a person who has risen to the disciplined heights of tough minded and has sunk to the passionless depths of hard heartedness.”

He said the hardhearted person never truly loves, but lives in isolation, never sharing another’s joy or sorrow. Ride a subway, go to a restaurant, look at the dinner table – how many people are talking to each other and how many are staring at their device? And studies say that despite virtual connectivity people still feel lonely.

He portrayed the hardhearted as self-centered and lacking compassion for others, not seeing the unfortunate. In our time, how many people are displaced and estranged? Do the homeless in our communities and refugees seeking sanctuary feel acceptance and support?

He depicted them as depersonalizing others as resources of industry, cogs in a wheel, a means to an end. As technology progresses, are workers being trained to work in new capacities? With an ever-growing gap in wealth, is income the dominating measure of success?

The prevailing issue he addressed then was segregation, and yet discrimination persists. He lamented that the soft minded would acquiesce to oppression. Today’s rhetoric normalizes hate speech and inequity. He reproached bitter individuals that would bring physical violence and hate in the name of a cause. And still police brutality and mass attacks like Orlando exist.  He exhorted his congregation that violence would only bring the repercussion of chaos. Our current social climate can only be proof.

Dr. King advocated for the use of non-violent resistance. He believed in achieving social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation and peaceful insistence. Let us hope that the marches in Washington and around our country this week reflect these ideals.

Reverend King declared that the good life demands combining the toughness of the serpent with the tenderness of the dove. “To have serpent like qualities devoid of dove like qualities is to be passionless, mean and selfish. To have dove like qualities without serpent like qualities is to be sentimental, aimless, and empty. We must combine strongly marked antithesis.”

So what does this meshing of tough mind and tender heart look like in a modern world? I submit that it requires personal investigation, critical thinking, empathy, and civil discourse. Embracing the advantages of technology and progress while analyzing the impact on humanity. Listening to learn, not just to make our rebuttal. It means looking for commonalities and seeking solutions together, even when it’s uncomfortable. And to revisit his words, finding a ‘synthesis of love and justice which will lead us through life’s dark valleys and into sun-lit pathways of hope and fulfillment.”

I found this sermon thanks to pastor Andrew Stehlik's Friday blog  Prudent Simplicity