2017-01-22 - 8:25 p.m.

Pick up the print edition of Washington Post:

Page A 6 photo of Inaugaration and Page A 14 photo of the Women's March. POWERFUL THANK YOU TO ALL who Marched FOR ME as YES I am one of the women who is underpaid based on my education and experience Why? No doubt being a woman has something to do with that.

THANK YOU to all who marched as you marched for me as I couldn't make it Because I am a MOM who had obligations to children that had to come first.

THANK YOU to all who marched for me as honestly I did not have the GAS money to go back and forth to DC, and I had to work at 3pm that day (two factors in why didn't make it there.. not sure if I could make it back , or back in time for the work I HAD to do to do to provide security for MY FAMILY).

THANK YOU All who marched for me as I am a single mom, and a divorcee and POOR because I was brave enough to leave rather than stay and be abused. THANK YOU TO ALL Who march for me and ALL THE OTHER survivors of domestic violence. WE ARE WORTH IT and our voices will not be stifled.

Thank you all who march for me as I am a champion of the cause of Immigrants who make up this fine land and it is because of those marvelous strong working people who I fell in love with as a community when working in refugee centers that I was motivated to get my JD and keep studying law (More than anyone likely... preparing for a BAR exam many times, and continuing to learn more each time.) It is those beautiful immigrant communities I encountered and shared some time with who taught me the meaning of love, empathy , forgiveness, hope and self determination , so THANK YOU for those who march for their cause as you also march for me.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO MARCH FOR ME as I am not a minority however I loved an African American Man and have bi-racial children and then experienced the shock of actual RACISM in my own community at times. THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO MARCH FOR ME AS BLACK LIVES MATTER, and for me in particular also those of my children matter who should be able to proudly embrace their whole identities and not be ostracized or treated differently because of this fact of being bi-racial. THANK YOU FOR MARCHING FOR ME because I think Never AGAIN Should my children need to worry about being pulled over for "Walking While Black " in my small now home town due to what clearly is racial profiling ( Does anyone else know of someone in Purcellville getting stopped for "jaywalking" EVER? )

THANK YOU ALL who march for me as I never want to fear the police but want to look at them as compassionate providers of care and order in society , and never want to fear our government but want it to be representative of our collective and those can not happen unless we all choose to speak up and participate.

THANK YOU ALL WHO MARCH FOR ME as I didn't have money to do so in part as when I spoke up after my HOA acted in a clearly racist manner and MOWED My neighbor and friend's lawn I called them out on it, and they recently fined me for so called "violations" which are neither factual or fair.
( I can't afford the time off work or energy to fight so just paid it... but I caught the flu and then lost a week of income so have been JUST MAKING It the past few weeks.)

THANK You for marching for me as a friend and family member of those who choose to love one of their same sex. I don't want to have to live in a world where I worry about the safety and security of those I LOVE because of fear of discrimination or violence against them simply because of their sexual orientation.

THANK YOU FOR MARCHING FOR ME as I CARE about climate change and support the continued care of our planet, as well as economic and racial justice and understand all these issues are interrelated.

THANK YOU FOR MARCHING FOR ME AND FOR ALL WOMAN AS WE PERSEVERE And Get stronger every day.

And Thank you God for our "One Nation, Under God"

The past few weeks I literally had EXACTLY enough money to get by. It is to me solely by the grace of God that when I went to the store to get basic groceries that the bill last came to $46.37 which turned out to be EXACTLY what was left in my bank account. The week ( or two) before, I took the toll road at a cost of $6.50 and then checked my account to see that was EXACTLY what had been left in it.

The odds of that happening TWICE are slim. So THANK YOU GOD for looking out for me when I was so busy and money was tight that I paid essential bills first but didn't reconcile before shopping to know what was left for food.

I feel very blessed to have made it!! I am getting by and so very blessed.

THANK YOU To all those marching for women's equality as we know if the ERA was ever passed, and if we ever achieve equal pay for equal work the lives of woman and children ALL OVER will exponentially improve.

And THANK YOU for being brave to speak out. In the short term there is often a cost to those who speak out and refuse to remain silent. I will say it again:

I am PROUD to pay that cost. Even though it meant I could not make the march this weekend.

THANK YOU to those of you who ALSO are willing to take the risks and pay the costs of having done so for ALL OF US.
And Finally, Last but certainly NOT LEAST: I almost forgot this one and edited this entry to add as this was an afterthought (which I realized itself is indicative of a societal problem). WE OFTEN FORGET the needs of those with disabilities all too often and we ourselves with any unique challenges of ability are so used to having to minimize our need, or hide our need, or develop "resiliency" and "coping skills" and great "compensation skills" out of necessity that sometimes we ourselves FORGET our own disability and sometimes ourselves overlook or deny our OWN NEED. THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO MARCH FOR ME AS A DISABLED WOMAN as we should ALL speak up and support RIGHTS FOR ALL and not only from the abelist perspective. THANK YOU FOR MARCHING FOR ME as we should be hearing and caring about all in our communities and those with disabilities SHOULD NOT BE EVEN LESS THAN AN AFTERTHOUGHT. Consciousness and awareness and care for those in greatest need , those with either physical or mental illness should be at the forefront of our social concerns. Those of us with disabilities should not be so used to IGNORING THEM that we fail to even acknowledge our need. THOSE OF US WITH DISABILITIES SHOULD NOT BE FIRED WHEN WE REACH OUT FOR ACCOMMODATIONS. THOSE OF US WITH DISABILITIES SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID TO CHECK THAT BOX IN A JOB HUNT "DO YOU HAVE A DISABILITY?" THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO MARCHED FOR ME as a disabled woman who can not afford health insurance who nonetheless believes it important that all those with pre-existing conditions that HAVE care currently should continue to receive medical care. It is interesting that I almost forgot that characteristic of my self. I am a woman with a disability, and that is only one aspect and at times the least important part of my self, yet it is a fact that economically those with disabilities have a very real ECONOMIC COST Of navigating through life that creates a greater burden than the typical person which while ALWAYS a burden on the individual, WITHOUT Social policy which provides support of the individual becomes an even GREATER ECONOMIC BURDEN ON SOCIETY. It's really quite simple: Provide health care and support for those with disabilities to thrive and those individuals are enabled, productive, members of society. Strip away health care and social supports and not only will many with disabilities actually DIE, many others will no longer be productive and able to provide for their own livelihoods by working that their basic subsistence WILL BE CARRIED by someone else. So it is essential that we have policy which gives all the support in our society to all we can to prevent such costs to society which are incurred without such support. Its just common sense: Prevention is always the most cost effective medical care and in the case of disabled individuals many of those with health care WORK and provide for themselves and others but will be absolutely incapacitated if their health care is taken away. Finally, THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO MARCHED as it is UNACCEPTABLE that a mysogonistic person who has demeaned women in such a sexually harassing and disrespectful and ILLEGAL WAY should be deemed appropriate to be the leader and representative of ANY Group of people ANYWHERE. It is a BATTERY to touch one offensively! Most women are just too STUNNED to respond when it happens to them! Thank you from ME A WOMAN (like so many of us) who have experienced physical sexual assault at work. (YES it was an actual physical battery when a male coworker came up directly behind me AS I WAS WASHING DISHES IN the sink in the break room and PUSHED HIS BODY FULL FRONTAL BODY AGAINST THE BACK OF ME and took his right hand and reached around me and dropped his dish in the sink and said "Will you wash mine") I WAS STUNNED I think I said only one word "NO" in disgust while I stood motionless before the trembling started. I was in absolute SHOCK and said NOTHING MORE. It was all of seconds in which this happened. I did later report it to HR and the HR rep "talked to him". SO THANK YOU TO ALL YOU WOMEN AND MEN WHO MARCHED who understand THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WE HAVE IN OUR COUNTY!!! SEXUAL ASSAULT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE NORMALIZED AS ACCEPTABLE!! (Not that anyone should need to be convinced- but for those who just don't get it this might help as I had a friend ask me in all seriousness "Why are these women marching?" and he claims that some WOMEN he knows are asking the same question and saying the marchers don't speak for them!! BAFFLES ME There are woman out there who are either so used to themselves being disrespected that it IS NORMALIZED TO THEM OR they must be very fortunate to legitimately have no understanding. If the second is the case they are very lucky women indeed to NOT have ever been sexually harassed, but that is not the experience of most of the woman I know. Most of the women I know have had incidents happen more than once in life and are sick of sexual harassment and abuse being ignored at best and victim blaming and shaming as the more typical response. There has not been ENOUGH acknowledgement and facing of the issue of sexual assault on women. It is underreported, IGNORED and victims are MOST OFTEN not believed or BLAMED. That has been the reality of much of our historical addressing of sexual assaults which resulted from a sick normalization of it which we are trying our best to change! https://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughTrumpSpam/comments/4r58wo/a_final_response_to_the_tell_me_why_trump_is/ SO THANK YOU TO ALL THE WOMEN WHO MARCHED FOR ME, you did something for me in that moment I could not do it for myself, and indeed for that I am so very grateful.

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