To the editor:
On Jan. 21, 2017, women from all across the country — joined by many men — marched on the Mall in Washington, D.C., and across the nation. It was the largest single day of demonstrations in our nation’s history. We were united in our commitment to speak up for our humanity and our equality, and to make clear that we would never be ignored, or treated as second best. The nation and the world heard us loud and clear.
Our march was not the end. It was the beginning. We haven’t let up since. We fought for health care. We fought the travel ban. We fought to save our climate and our public schools. We fought for living wages. And we fought for DREAMers. On Jan. 20, 2018, we marched again, in Indianapolis and throughout the country.
In 2017, we started marching. In 2018, we’re running. Progressives are winning races that we were told were unwinnable, in Wisconsin and Virginia and New Jersey and Alabama. We’re proving that love defeats hate, kindness vanquishes nastiness, and hope conquers fear. We have brains, we have heart, and we know how to fight and win.
We’re not running just to win, we’re running to improve the lives of the people who need it the most. That is what I’ve tried to do throughout my career. I’ve fought for legislation to provide hard-working Americans with a living wage, predictable work schedules, and protections from being cheated out of their paychecks. I’ve fought to protect women from pregnancy discrimination, pay discrimination and harassment, and to ensure working people can come together to negotiate for their fair share.
I am not saying I have all the answers. No one does. I am crisscrossing our district meeting Hoosiers and holding town halls, because I know that the No. 1 job of a representative is to listen to and learn from people whose lives and livelihoods are on the line.
At the Women’s March, women and men from across Indiana showed our resilience, our hope and our commitment to getting to the polls and making the change we so urgently need. I see that same level of commitment over and over again across our district. It’s why we will win in 2018.
Liz Watson, Congressional candidate, IN-09
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