This week, I’m in Washington, DC, making my voice heard and my opinion known, and gathering stories about women supporting women for Tribe of Women. In my previous post, I shared one of the main reasons I am here on a personal level, and today I am sharing another: It’s time to Stand Up.

On the way to DC yesterday, my girlfriends and I were finding our seats on the plane and I saw another local friend a few seats ahead of me, and asked where he was headed. He replied, and responded in kind, and I said “Women’s March!”. As I got seated, a woman across the aisle leaned in and asked, in hushed voice, “Are you going to the Women’s March?”, to which I replied “Yes, you too?” and she nodded. I smiled as I saw she had foam core posters and a young man who looked like a teenaged son with her.

More marchers were discovered at our gate in the airport in Charlotte, and they were less reserved with their intentions. It struck me how differently people are behaving in the face of what is, certainly, the most divisive and negative campaign and election cycle of my adulthood. Some of us, afraid to be attacked and berated for speaking out against the current climate, are cautious – unwilling to call attention to themselves in a crowd of strangers. And that’s okay. As long as you get on the plane.

But I have also read some comments on social media that suggest that we should “wait and see”. I will have to unapologetically disagree with that position. Waiting and seeing is a cop out. You’ve all probably heard the analogy to what Poland circa 1938 would think about that plan.

I was willing to wait and see on November 9, 2016. But on January 20, 2017, I’ve waited, and I’ve seen enough.

Today, I went with my friends and brother and sister-in-law went to have brunch at a local bookstore/restaurant here in Silver Spring, and we watched the inauguration. Then we headed out in search of poster-making supplies for tomorrow’s march. The local pharmacy and craft supply store shelves were empty, but the craft store employees brought out more foam core to save the day. Before we left, I watched so many women come into the store, alone and in small groups, to pick up their own supplies. All ready to stand up and be heard. To make it clear that they would not wait and see.

If this period of hate-speech and fake news and divisive rhetoric has done anything positive, it has inspired people not to wait, but to get busy.

Women’s Rights are Human Rights.

Equality is not an option.

Stand up.