The Women’s March Inspired Me to Run for Office Someday
Salma Elsayed is in the 12th grade at The Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria in Queens, New York. Last year, we asked her to join us at the 2018 Women's March and to share how walking alongside such powerful people inspired her to take some very big next steps. This is what she had to say...
I have always loved protests because I know what an important step they are to creating real change. So when I heard there was an opportunity to go with Seventeen to the NYC Women’s March, I jumped at the chance. I have always been proud to be an American because of the various rights that I enjoy. However, over the past year, I have felt that many of my and my fellow Americans’ rights are being threatened through President Trump’s travel ban, withdrawal from the Paris agreement, rollback on women’s reproductive rights, DACA termination, multiple attempts to end the Affordable Care Act, and the recent tax bill that disproportionately affects my state of New York. His actions and rhetoric against many minorities has made me fearful of what other measures his administration will take against marginalized communities, many of which I am a part of. When I marched on Saturday, I didn’t march to “celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success” as our President so eloquently stated, but to fight against the bigoted policies of his administration and for my rights as a Muslim American woman.
Like any weekend outing in New York City, my journey began with a delayed train. When I finally got to Times Square, I was welcomed by groups of people with pink hats and posters. I saw signs for the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, advocates for reproductive rights and the LGBTQ community, as well as people speaking out against Islamophobia.
As soon as I entered the Press Area, I got acquainted with my fellow activists. Sara Nunez Mejia, a New Yorker from the Garifuna Coalition, said she attended the march so that “our voices are heard... we are part of the planning process and legislation when it comes to women’s rights.” According to the Rutgers Eagleton Institute in Politics, less than 26% of women are involved in state and federal politics. Our concerns are largely ignored because there aren’t enough of us in politics to make sure that there is legislation to protect women, give them equal economic access, and ensure that our rights are not infringed upon.
Mark Loomis from Connecticut, who came with his grandson, echoed Ms. Mejia’s sentiments, “I believe that everything in government would get a lot better overnight if we could start clearing out the old white men and getting more people of color and women into office.”
In the 2018 midterm election, we need more women running for office and being voted into office. Unfortunately, I will only be 17 next November, but I will still encourage the women in my community to vote for female politicians who will represent our issues in government. Many people in my community are not aware of our local elections, which I hope to change.
I was overwhelmed by the speakers and the 200,000 protesters who showed up. Once the March began we chanted, sang Gwen Stefani’s "Hollaback Girl," and cheered. I met and spoke with so many other young girls and boys, millenials, and seniors.
The protests I have attended this past year have changed my career ambitions. Despite being a staunch feminist who is passionate about politics, I have never thought of running for office as a possibility for my future. But after this march, I realize that I cannot expect politicians to create legislation to close the pay gap, to grant women reproductive rights, and to fight sexual violence and harassment; I have to do it myself. I wish for other girls to feel just as empowered as I am to run for office. When I left the Women’s March, I left with a newfound sense of unity and hope. I hope that when I return next year, it isn’t because more of my rights have been taken away.
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