Women’s March building peace leaders

We know marching the day after the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration isn’t enough. Post Women’s March, we will be creating action plans focused on inclusivity and policy-making. Women and children account for approximately 70 percent of our population. When they are healthy, safe and have equitable opportunities to lead, our nation thrives.

Ignited locally by Teresa Shook from Hana, Maui, the Women’s March has become a national movement. Hawaii being highlighted as the birthplace gives us the opportunity to showcase our island-states’ aloha, tolerance and peaceful culture.

Women, men and children are participating in hundreds locations across the globe. It’s estimated around 100 Hawaii residents will be marching in Washington, D.C., with an estimated 200,000-plus people from across the nation. Statewide there are five marches planned, the largest on Oahu.

The Woman’s March is an opportunity for humans to stand together in solidarity, celebrating diversity to protect the rights thousands fought so hard to secure. These rights protect our people and our planet.

Women’s and children’s health and safety, access to affordable child care and preschool for families, pay equity, pathways out of homelessness, marriage laws, LGBTQ+ rights, self-determination and justice for indigenous people, paid family leave, immigration reform and the health of our ecosystems — are among the policies we will be prioritizing. We will be advocating locally and nationally.

As members of the The Omidyar Fellows Leadership Program, we stand committed to peaceful demonstrations focused on making sure communities thrive. Leaders come in all ages, professions, communities and colors. They lead from behind, alongside and out front.

Working toward a more perfect union means harnessing our strengths to work across differences. Growing our inclusivity and our strategies for creating a truly just society is critical. For all the decisions we make in our homes, schools and business, we need to be asking ourselves if those decisions are in the best interest of our people and our planet. The same criteria will be used when we evaluate the next four years of policy-making. We need to ask ourselves if the decisions we are making improve people’s lives, advance rights of all of our citizens and heal the planet that sustains us.

Given our racial diversity, commitment to aloha and unique ecosystems, Hawaii is well positioned to lead. We look forward to working with local partners, the Legislature and our congressional delegation. The success of our state and our nation is contingent on how we leverage the strengths of our diversity to innovate and solve problems collaboratively.

Despite our geographic location, our small population, Hawaii is making national history, again. We are proud to be servant leaders aligned with this now international movement.