Renata Marguerite Miller will be writing blogs for KQED about her inauguration 2017 experience and tweeting from her Twitter account.
Like many other people in the Bay Area, I was pretty distraught at the result of this election. I am originally from New York City, a place that celebrates immigrants and diversity, and so the election result revealed a part of America that has been foreign to me.
My mother has often spoken of how lucky she is to live in this country. Yet during this election cycle, my family was shocked at the hateful rhetoric toward immigrants. For me much of what it means to be an American is tied up in an acceptance toward other cultures.
When my American Studies seminar began discussing organizing a Stanford coalition to the Women’s March, I knew I wanted to be there.
After feeling so helpless the days after the election, I am excited to contribute to a movement that will be a positive force during a divisive time. The president-elect has shown an appalling disregard toward women, and so I am marching to ensure that women’s rights are respected. Yet I am also marching in solidarity with other communities that feel their voices are not heard — minorities, the LGBTQ community, Muslims and others.