LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Women's March is 'start of a marathon'

This past Saturday, my daughter, Abby, and I marched in the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. It was a day filled with thousands and thousands of “nasty” women (and some “nasty” men) who came together to celebrate sisterhood and articulate what we, as women, will fight for without hesitation — equal pay, reproductive rights, health care for all, educational opportunities, criminal justice reform, climate change, and civil rights. The March in D.C. was duplicated in at least 600 other sister cities and dozens of other countries, and not one arrest, not one act of violence, not one push nor shove occurred. It was a day of historic proportions, and its message signaled a growing tension worldwide that the new “normal” of disrespect, alternate facts, and dismissive attitudes would not be tolerated nor ignored. Two and a half million women worldwide could not be wrong to be concerned. And yet, there were still those here in Sussex County who thought that this was not an event that had local implications. Well, think again. Hundreds of Sussex County women traveled to D.C. or marched locally. The issues reflected in D.C., in L.A., in Paris or in Berlin are not just found in D.C., L.A., Paris or Berlin. They exist here. The maxim that “all politics is local” has become tired and cliché. If there is anything that the 2016 elections have revealed, [it] is that national politics predicts local politics, and our local Sussex representatives need to start paying attention to the very loud international outcry. My advice to that esteemed group of men: Stop having microscopic vision and switch to telescopic. And to my sisters that marched, young and old, single or married, living throughout Sussex County, our march is the start of a marathon. We need to remain committed, focused and fearless. Join in the local efforts to bring the national message home. Email me at womenforsussex@gmail.com to keep the fire burning.

Paulette Rappa Millsboro