Women in Black: Dems to protest SOTU with #TimesUp and Recy Taylor badges
Democratic women are protesting Donald Trump’s State of the Union with #TimesUp badges and pink badges with Recy Taylor’s name on them.
The badges are in addition to an all-black wardrobe the women plan to wear in solidarity with the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
The #MeToo movement saw women all around the world coming forward to share their stories of sexual harassment and assault, proving how widespread and pervasive rape culture can be.
— Janelle Monae delivers powerful #TimesUp speech at Grammys: ‘We come in peace but we mean business’ —
The mission of the #TimesUp initiative is to stand up for women who don’t have the fame and fortune to stand up against their abusers.
Earlier this month, members of the Congressional Black Caucus said that they would be wearing badges to pay tribute to Recy Taylor, the woman Oprah Winfrey brought up in her Golden Globes speech.
Taylor was raped by a group of white men who were let off the hook by, not one, but two grand juries in the 1940s. But now, people are saying her name.
— Wendy Williams is ‘sick’ of #MeToo, says some R. Kelly accusers ‘chose’ to be victimized —
The silent protest, according to Nancy Pelosi, will be enough of a message in itself, and she asked those who would be attending the State of the Union not to be disruptive or walk about while Donald Trump spoke.
“Let the attention be on his slobbering self,” Pelosi said of President Trump, according to The Daily Mail. “If you walk out, don’t come in.”
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The State of Our Union
In addition to the silent protest, some Democrats will be joining activists like Tarana Burke, Ai-Jen Poo and Mónica Ramirez for an event called the “State of Our Union.”
The event, which will be livestreamed, hopes to give voices to women and those fighting for the future. Topics such as sexual violence, the future of the Dreamers, and other hot issues are all on the table for discussion.
— First black female rabbi says she ‘wants to break down barriers’ (video) —
“This is our own form of nonviolent resistance,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.), who will be one of the speakers wrote on Medium.
“This is a time for crystal clarity and courage. We cannot send mixed messages — to him or to the millions of people he demeans. That is why I will not attend the official State of the Union, and instead will join activists from across the country, women of color and others in holding our own State of Our Union, where we resist this racism and put forward our own progressive vision for our beloved country,” she added.
