In Case You Needed More Proof The Revolution Is Going To Be Female, Here It Is
Who runs the world? If last week serves as any proof, Beyoncé was correct, girls do.
We had Sally Yates go out in a blaze of glory when she ordered the Department of Justice not to defend Trump’s travel ban, commonly (and correctly) referred to as the Muslim and Syrian refugee ban. She was promptly fired, but not before making herself quite clear:
“I am responsible for ensuring that the positions we take in court remain consistent with this institution’s solemn obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right. At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the Executive Order is consistent with these responsibilities nor am I convinced that the Executive Order is lawful.”
Boom. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.
I suppose the counterargument would be that she was relieved of her duties, so clearly Trump got the last word? Nah. Sally knew she was going to get shit-canned by her narcissistic boss, but she publicly stood for what was right, fair, and true anyway. She upheld her duties to the American people, and she didn’t back down. I’d say that’s the true mark of a boss lady. I just wish she had busted up Trump’s car with a baseball bat on the way out — too far?
Sally wasn’t the lone badass though. The four judges who were absolutely pivotal in halting Trump’s executive order, while preventing the illegal deportation of Visa and green card holders? You guessed it: Women.
We had Federal Judge Ann Donnelly (Eastern District of New York) enact a temporary nationwide stay on the Executive Order, followed almost immediately by Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema (Eastern District of Virginia) issuing a restraining order that allowed detainees to have access to legal representation and prevented petitioners from being removed. This wave of awesome was followed up by Federal Judge Allison Dale Burroughs and Magistrate Judge Judith Dein implementing a weeklong restraining order against Trump’s EO. These actions resulted in the release of legal green card and Visa holders who were being detained across the country. The crowds of protesters were literally cheering as men and women were reunited with their families. Heroes!
Women are coming together across party lines to make sure we protect our children. The confirmation of billionaire (and major Republican party donor) Betsy DeVos is looming, and her lack of knowledge surrounding all critical elements of our educational policies and laws has damn near everyone terrified. This includes two GOP senators who have made their disapproval public, Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). With these women on Team Save Our Schools, democrats have two of the three Republican votes needed to block her appointment to secretary of education. Now we just need one of the four remaining Republican female senators to come through to really blow the lid off this whole thing.
I know the news right now often leaves us all reeling, and I know this is just the beginning of this utter madness, but I do think it is vital to recognize that within the resistance there will be moments that must be appreciated. These are a few of those moments. The moments where we say, “Nope. Not today,” and we protest, and we call, and we write, and we see our fellow women in Congress and our women behind the bench stand up with us and echo our voices. Powerful. Inspiring.
And as we move forward, as we gear up to keep our fists in the air, I am constantly reminded of Hillary’s words:
“And to all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion. I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday, someone will. And hopefully sooner than we might think right now.”
Yes, sooner than we might think. And you’re going to need something stronger than glass to hold us back.
We run this mother.
