The Speech from the Women's March You Needed to Hear
Editor's Note: The text below is a modified version of a speech that Angela Sutton gave at the Philadelphia Women's March that took place on January 21, 2017.
I am a black woman, a mother of two beautiful black boys, and I live in Northeast Philadelphia.
I have lived in poverty, in Philadelphia, my whole life.
Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate of any large American city. The face of that poverty is most likely a black mother, like me.
Editor's Note: The text below is a modified version of a speech that Angela Sutton gave at the Philadelphia Women's March that took place on January 21, 2017.
I am a black woman, a mother of two beautiful black boys, and I live in Northeast Philadelphia.
I have lived in poverty, in Philadelphia, my whole life.
Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate of any large American city. The face of that poverty is most likely a black mother, like me.
For me, being a woman has always meant being strong and never showing weakness.
I have always had to be superwoman, and the women around me have had to be the same.
As a single mother of two boys, I have to play both roles and every day, I do what I have to in order to take care of my boys the best way I know how.
I, too, am a woman.
I am the woman you don't see when you walk down the street sipping your Starbucks coffee.
I am the woman you don't see standing in line at the local food pantry.
I am the woman who remains invisible in spaces and at events like the Women's March.
But I am here.
You must see me.
You must acknowledge me.
You must include me.
Because I am the woman who fights every day.
I am the woman who understands inequality.
I am the woman who advocates for the rights of women and children living in poverty.
I am the woman who wants a better life.
The new administration scares me, but I know I have to continue to fight.
Not just for me, but for the others who come after me.
For our children.
For our future.
We can't accept what we are given.
We must continue the fight--and that means all of us.
Let's hold each other accountable and unite.
Sonia Sanchez said, "in order to be a true revolutionary, you must understand love."
I do what I do out of love.
We will win because of love.
But first you need to see me.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Editor's Note: The text below is a modified version of a speech that Angela Sutton gave at the Philadelphia Women's March that took place on January 21, 2017.
I am a black woman, a mother of two beautiful black boys, and I live in Northeast Philadelphia.
I have lived in poverty, in Philadelphia, my whole life.
Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate of any large American city. The face of that poverty is most likely a black mother, like me.
For me, being a woman has always meant being strong and never showing weakness.
I have always had to be superwoman, and the women around me have had to be the same.
As a single mother of two boys, I have to play both roles and every day, I do what I have to in order to take care of my boys the best way I know how.
I, too, am a woman.
I am the woman you don't see when you walk down the street sipping your Starbucks coffee.
I am the woman you don't see standing in line at the local food pantry.
I am the woman who remains invisible in spaces and at events like the Women's March.
But I am here.
You must see me.
You must acknowledge me.
You must include me.
Because I am the woman who fights every day.
I am the woman who understands inequality.
I am the woman who advocates for the rights of women and children living in poverty.
I am the woman who wants a better life.
The new administration scares me, but I know I have to continue to fight.
Not just for me, but for the others who come after me.
For our children.
For our future.
We can't accept what we are given.
We must continue the fight--and that means all of us.
Let's hold each other accountable and unite.
Sonia Sanchez said, "in order to be a true revolutionary, you must understand love."
I do what I do out of love.
We will win because of love.
But first you need to see me.
Editor's Note: The text below is a modified version of a speech that Angela Sutton gave at the Philadelphia Women's March that took place on January 21, 2017.
I am a black woman, a mother of two beautiful black boys, and I live in Northeast Philadelphia.
I have lived in poverty, in Philadelphia, my whole life.
Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate of any large American city. The face of that poverty is most likely a black mother, like me.
For me, being a woman has always meant being strong and never showing weakness.
I have always had to be superwoman, and the women around me have had to be the same.
As a single mother of two boys, I have to play both roles and every day, I do what I have to in order to take care of my boys the best way I know how.
I, too, am a woman.
I am the woman you don't see when you walk down the street sipping your Starbucks coffee.
I am the woman you don't see standing in line at the local food pantry.
I am the woman who remains invisible in spaces and at events like the Women's March.
But I am here.
You must see me.
You must acknowledge me.
You must include me.
Because I am the woman who fights every day.
I am the woman who understands inequality.
I am the woman who advocates for the rights of women and children living in poverty.
I am the woman who wants a better life.
The new administration scares me, but I know I have to continue to fight.
Not just for me, but for the others who come after me.
For our children.
For our future.
We can't accept what we are given.
We must continue the fight--and that means all of us.
Let's hold each other accountable and unite.
Sonia Sanchez said, "in order to be a true revolutionary, you must understand love."
I do what I do out of love.
We will win because of love.
But first you need to see me.