Delaware Tech students and staff marched on Washington
Some of Delaware Technical Community College’s staff and students participated in the historic Women’s March on Washington. They united with more than 500,000 women, men, and children on Jan. 21 to voice their concerns in the District of Columbia.
Communications Instructor and co-organizer for the Women’s March Delaware Chapter, Jessica Farley, was among the marchers.
“The sign I brought was ‘Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for All’ and that was the best statement to encapsulate all the reasons I was there,” she said.
Farley said she got involved in the march two days after the election because she wanted to fight for everyone’s liberties to be honored and for more equality in the justice system. She added that one of her biggest concerns is the escalation of nationalism and tribalism due to a fear spreading across the nation of anything or anyone perceived as different.
“I feel our politics will not only divide us as a country, but could divide us away from the rest of the world,” she said.
Farley was happy to see the news feeds covering hundreds of sister marches across the nation and around the world. She expressed the show of solidarity has indeed turned the one-day, world-wide march into a social movement.
“The day after the march, we got emails from national organizers asking us to participate in the 10 Actions in 100 Days Campaign,” Farley said. “Every 10 days, there will be a new action for us to complete.”
The first action is writing postcards to senators. Participants can choose to write to their local senators and/or to non-local senators who sit on committees handling specific issues of concern.
Farley said she has joined the campaign in an organized effort and likes the fellowship aspect of it, but people are certainly free to perform actions individually.
“We need the strength of one another to keep going because energy gets depleted pretty quick,” she said. “We’ll need to rely on each other to keep moving forward for the long haul.”
Farley said she will continue to attend gatherings, events, and protests that support her beliefs.
Communications student Caitlin Chaney participated in the march and is taking part in the 10 Actions in 100 Days Campaign.
“I marched because I feel everyone’s rights are being threatened and because it seems that women’s progress is being pushed backwards,” Chaney said. “I wanted my voice to be heard and to show that I’m not going to stand for any negative treatment.”
Chaney said the march was a positive experience. She said there were some agitators along the march route, spitting on and yelling at protesters, but protesters reacted peacefully.
She said the movement has inspired her to remain informed and focused on voicing her concerns.
She recommended that anyone motivated to get involved should pay attention to changes in both local and national laws.
“If you’re not engaged on a local level, it will be difficult to be engaged on a national level,” Chaney said.
For more information on the Women’s March or the 10 Actions in 100 Days Campaign, visit www.womensmarch.com.
Communications Instructor and co-organizer of the Women's March Delaware Chapter Jessica Farley displays her marching sign and her husband, Steve, shows his Delaware pride at the Women's March on Washingto. Photo by K. Rohrbaugh
Photo courtesy of WomensMarch.com
Video footage by K. Rohrbaugh