Get Up, Stand Up

 

FullSizeRender My family heading out to the march.  Aaliyah, Lola and Pilar (left to right)

I did not wake up yesterday thinking…. I’m about to be a part of history. But I was. Actually it wasn’t me. It was me, my family and friends, along with hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. We were joined by those in Atlanta, Chicago, Nairobi, Helsinki and Buenos Aires even Antartica held it down yesterday. I had no idea this was going to be global “Jumpoff.”

IMG_3722 Listen to these girls. They are the future. “It is my body, so it is my choice” Marches popped off all over the world.

2300womensmarch-v4

The Women’s Rights march showed the power of the people.  Millions of people all over came out to “Get Up, Stand Up”  There were signs for Women’s rights, Black Lives matter, Dump Trump, We can’t Comb over racism, LGBTQ rights, everyone got a little love today.

My mind is blown by the number of people that came out. It is very easy to feel like we are too small to make a difference. Yesterday I saw many small groups of people turn into a massive force. I feel inspired, I want to do more, get more involved. I’m sure I’m not alone.

To think that folks in Georgia (the country) came out to protest Trump and what he stands for gives me hope. There is a quote going around now that goes something like, “There are more of us than there are of him” Meaning
WE THE PEOPLE can stand up as one, and fight for equal rights. Equality for everyone. Every time I heard that quote before yesterday, my cynical side sighed and rolled its eyes. However today I feel hopeful. Today I feel like human beings actually care about one another. I know that the entire world feels that we are living in “Tryin times”(Roberta Flack)  and that we’re willing to hit the pavement and “Bring the Noise” (Public Enemy). Man, that what’s up.

Is this march going to save the Affordable Care Act? I wish that it could. Is this march going to make our new Attorney General not racist? No, but it did spark the spirits of the people. If we the people form a closed fist, we can knockout the hatred. We saw today how many people care, now lets keep the momentum going!

IMG_3737

This  journey of equal rights is a strange one. It’s centuries old, but it stays fresh and never loses its strength. Like my President Barack Obama said, “Democracy is not the buildings. It’s not the monuments. It’s you. Being able to work together to make things better and being able to listen to each other.”  

 

images

Thanks to;  Pilar, Aaliyah, Lola, Amy, Nick, Nina, Sara, George, Zora, Yuen, Brian, Morris, Iyla, Meno, Latoya, Clementine, Alex, Meg, and Sabrina. Sharing this experience with you was inspiring.

Now check out the Mix that accompanies this piece. I know you gonna dig this.

  •  Stand Up Jamrock by Bob Marley
  • Hip Hop Dreams by DJ Alias, Kanye, Game
  • Come Together by The Beatles
  •  The Revolution Will Not be Televised by Gil- Scot Heron
  •  Get By by Talib Kweli
  • We The People by A Tribe Called Quest
  • American Idiot by Green Day
  •  Black Pride interlude by Solange
  •  Mississippi Goddamn by Nina Simone
  •  Fight the Power by Public Enemy
  •  Tryin Times by Roberta Flack

Aaron McMickle

Aaron McMickle- DJ, Father, Musician, Music Lover. If you like how we connect the dots on this site, please leave a comment. Play the music presented here, and come back often. It's a life long journey

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *