In the wake of #metoo and recent school shooting in Florida, I began to question “who was responsible?”
The #metoo points out that women were the victims. Victims…the word itself did not sit too well with me. Why do we need to be victims? Why are we so afraid to say “no”? And if we are, why has it taken so long to make the other person responsible? When does abuse become a shame?
I was compelled to ask these questions because I am no longer standing on my own as a woman. My new role as a mother to twin girls make it more compelling to be a part of this discussion. More so now that I am responsible to raise courageous women. So I ask again, who is responsible when sexual harassment or abuse happens?
On February 14, 2018, 17 people, mostly high school students, died in a school shooting in Florida. So young and innocent with so much life still to live. The shooter was a 19-year-old, so young and undeterred by consequences. Now I ask, was the shooter responsible? Just because he made the shot does not exempt us from being responsible for not speaking up when we saw the red flags, when we did not vote for legislation in gun control and when parents were afraid to confront their children.
These are the two of most current social issues that we are aware of. Yet, we do nothing. We just watch the news.
So what can you and I do? We rise up!
In our own little world, start to overcome every struggle. So rise up!
Every time we feel afraid and we lose our confidence, you must rise up! Get up and tackle the problem head on.
Trust your gut when you see if someone or something is not right, speak up. You matter and they matter. Rise up!
I do not want to see #metoo anymore but #riseup. I do not want to see #guncontrol anymore but #riseup.
We are a resilient human beings. We matter. Rise up and be relevant!
