From a Women’s March Leader: ‘We Need to Stand United’

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To the Editor:

“When Progressives Embrace Hate,” by Bari Weiss (Opinion, nytimes.com, Aug. 1), perpetuates a flawed narrative that is dangerous for many reasons, most fundamentally because it threatens to divide and distract progressives at a time when we need to stand united.

It frames challenging discussions that our movement must continue to embrace — conversations about struggle and liberation, about inclusion and understanding — as hateful or taboo. Ms. Weiss is endorsing a sensational alt-right attack that aims to discredit the Women’s March movement and its leaders and to derail the progress we have made since January.

Her article is a distraction at a critical moment when rights are being stripped from vulnerable communities every day.

The election of Donald Trump was a wake-up call for so many; it revealed an American dystopia that communities on the margin have endured and fought against for generations.

The Women’s March united millions around the United States and demonstrated the collective power of women to create transformative social change.

You may not agree with one of us or any of us, and that’s O.K. But together we are weaving the social fabric so needed to protect us as the Trump agenda advances.

The Women’s March has always been about coming together for one another’s collective liberation and not just showing up for issues that directly affect us. We are a movement made up of many people with different opinions, ideas and experiences.

As a cis-heterosexual white woman new to feminist activism, I found that there were times in planning the January march that were uncomfortable, and times that even with as much empathy as I could muster, I couldn’t relate to someone else’s point of view.

That is the nature of a movement as inclusive and intersectional as ours. Discomfort is often necessary for growth. It is because of these differences, not in spite of them, that I stand in solidarity with my fellow organizers Carmen Perez, Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory.

We are a movement grounded in love for all people, but especially for the vulnerable, the oppressed and the marginalized.

For now, critics like Ms. Weiss are just critics from their seats. Until they get up, listen and do the work to understand those whose feelings have been shaped by injustices, they will remain apologists for the status quo, racist ideology and the white nationalist patriarchy.

BOB BLAND, NEW YORK

The writer is co-president of the Women’s March.