These Girls Are on Fire: Performing Resistance in Women’s March

What can we expect in a Trump Presidency? This is the thought that continues to circulate in my mind the more and more I think about what has transpired this past year. The election cycle, the inauguration weekend and the current state of our republic has been at the forefront of not just politics, but every field of discussion. The success of the Women’s March and other anti-trump protests transpiring across the world, communities are now waking up to the severity of Trump’s administration and taking action. When you consider simple qualities such as honesty and integrity, many will say Donald Trump does not have these. A man who uses fraud as a business model, whether it deals with Trump University, his foundation, six bankruptcies, or the failures of his casinos, his entire career has been based on manipulating and abusing others with less power.

In coming to the realization that this reality tv host was now IN ACTUALITY out president, the 45th president of the United States of America, I decided to seek advice from my former mentor Dr. Katherine Meizel, on how to cope and deal with the shock and emotions I was feeling. In her case she and other ethnomusicologists decided to discuss within the most recent Musicology Now posts about the tremendous impact collective singing can have in political events. Such is the case of the Missouri State Chorale’s recent performance of “Now We Belong,” at Donald Trump's Inaguration. Watching this performance and readings my mentors words I couldn’t help but think about Alicia Keys speech at the Women’s March, where she sung “Girl is on Fire.” That and her poem-esque speech she gave titled “I rise” served as a powerful moment and reminder that encapsulated the collective sentiments of those who were there fighting for not just women’s rights, but in the broader scheme everyone's rights.

This excerpt from Alicia Key’s speech I feel was worth mentioning as I write this reflection of a post on the events that transpired this past weekend:

“Up from a past that is rooted in pain, I rise…I’m a black ocean leaping in wide, welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear, I rise…We will not allow our bodies to be controlled by men in government, or anywhere for that matter. We want best for all Americans: no hate, no bigotry, no Muslim registry. We will continue to rise until our voices are heard.”

Reconstructing a vision of America that will embody the nature of resistance against actions of oppression and discrimination moving forward I think was my biggest take away from this Women’s March. Now more than ever we as a society need to fight the power, where the repeal of any and all safety regulations, legislation, and protections of people are now on the table to gamble with, and we the citizens, are the ones up for grabs. This passage of Ashley Judd’s poem performance at the Women's March I think contextualizes this embodiment of resistance, but also the sentiments of women in America, people of color, class, and gender:

“I am not as nasty as racism, fraud, conflict, of interest, homophobia, sexual assault, trans-phobia, white supremacy, misogyny, ignorance, white privilege...I’m not as nasty as your own daughter being your favorite sex symbol…We are not here to be debunked, we are here to be respected, WE ARE HER TO BE NASTY.

Meizel, Katherine. January 20th 2017. Musicology Now. http://musicologynow.ams-net.org/

Keys, Alicia. excerpt from her speech “I rise.” Women’s March. January 21st, 2017.

Judd, Ashley. excerpt from her speech “I’m A Nasty Women.” January 21st, 2017.