Why I Marched and Why I did not Wear the Pink Kitty Hat

From the first moment I landed at JF Kennedy years ago till today, I feel welcome. I was never reminded of my accent that Americans bid cute rather than hard to understand, I was never reminded of my goals being too ambitious for an immigrant, I was never made fun of my strange Eastern European manners; on the contrary, I was always cheered up on my adventurous path in this New World. The acceptance and tolerance of Americans have been always humbling me. America was bid a New World by Europeans who discovered this continent. It was a practical and fit name then, and it is fit now gaining metaphorical meaning where the attribute "new" stands for the visionary path Americans venture on while exercising tolerance, decency, humanity and acceptance — the hallmarks of this country unmatchable anywhere in the world. I am glad I belong here and I marched to support it.

I marched because I got scared. I marched to cheer up values that make this country unique. I got scared to see those in our helm loosing their cool. I got scared hearing name calling, hearing disdain for opponent, I observed sad compromising on decency, civility, freedom, acceptance, tolerance and good will.

I marched because I wanted to be heard what values cannot be compromised, so I do not have to feel that the chief is not my chief as he may not represent what this land has always stood for.

And so I marched to celebrate what drew me to this country:

Freedom

Acceptance and Tolerance

Decency and Civility

Open-mindness and pioneer efforts

Respect for ally and respect for opponent

Empathy for the world

Attention to the rules, even those unwritten

I also marched to protect things I love and deem essential for life as art, public education, our planet and a care for our well being.

And that pink hat? Perhaps I am too shy to demonstrate in that manner my opinion. Perhaps we Eastern Europeans are more reserved. Perhaps I would like to forget about vulgarity that inspired the neatly crochet hats, perhaps I am embarrassed of vulgarity uttered; embarrassed that we, the harbingers of the New Beautiful World, may have a chief whose action may hurt me, embarrass me, upset me. I marched bare-headed for decency and for all of the values above mentioned and I know my peer-marchers forgave me.

Nothing I wish for more than to cheer our chief, to be inspired by his optimism, charisma, vision for tomorrow, respect for humanity, for the world, for the weaker or stronger, for freedom, for acceptance. That is why I marched, to stand up for the rights for which this country worked painstakingly on for hundreds of years and succeeded to include these values as an essential necessity for American civil life. That is why America has been always great in that unprecedented essence by honoring freedom, acceptance, and civility. It is a land of free and brave and I wish to keep that vision on. And that is why I marched.