.
Kimberly Wilder’s Roe Journal
Day Seven
(I count the first day. June 24th, because I was at a protest that evening.)
_______________________________________________________________________
One of the conversations at Roe v Wade events, is how we can’t believe we have all done so much – and felt so much – in so few days.
This morning, I woke up worrying first about Covid and then about The Supreme Court.
Last night (Wednesday, June 29th), I went to a rally at The Suffolk County Supreme Court here in Riverhead. It was good to be with other people. Though, as someone else noted, there was a little bit less energy and sense of satisfaction. Some of the reasons were: our group faced inward towards the court steps; the street was cordoned off, so very few passers by could see our numbers; it was heavy on speeches (many by candidates); and, it was organized by local Democratic Party committees. On the bright side for me: There was a small amount of heckling of what the Democratic Party has not done; We got to commune with like-minded people; We got to chant; And, we got to hold signs and yell about how bad The Supreme Court is.
In the morning, my little girl graduated from UPK, Universal (free) Pre-Kindergarten. There was so much happiness. Still, I decided I had to turn my back on the national anthem – no matter how festive the occasion and how much I wanted to see a child performer sing it. I just stood discretely near the back of the crowd and turned around. In that moment, I decided that I had to keep to my truth and I had to honor the women who I have been discussing these actions with online. We spent a lot of time debating if we would take a knee or turn our backs. I wasn’t going to let the whole conversation be for naught.
It is almost comical to me that the students sang “I am proud to be an American…” by Lee Greenwood. I have always sung it as, “I am proud to be an American, where at least I THINK I’m free.” This week, I have modified my satire to be, “I am proud to be an American, where at least WHITE MEN are free.” Oh, well.
Last night, the group of 43,000 plus women who have found each other on FaceBook made a big announcement. On July 13th, we will hold a boycott. It is something like “Buy Nothing Day.” Women and allies will do their best to spend no money and do no work.
I am glad to be part of a well-planned project. I am looking forward to July 13th and to seeing any results or media attention the next day.
I saw a headline about Ketanji Brown Jackson being inducted into The Supreme Court today. For a fleeting moment, I thought that Biden and The Democrats had started to pack the court. As you may know, they have not been that strong and brave yet.
My journal must include that one of my cousins passed away. She was 61 years old. I feel an extra sense of loss, because, our family is very matriarchal, and the women get to see each other for many weddings and baby showers. She was very good and kind, and will be remembered by a very big and loving family.
Filed under: News
Leave a Reply