“We hold these Truths to be self-evident that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…” Our Declaration of Independence lied. All men are created equal but are not treated equal. We do not have the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, because we are women; and for some reason, women aren’t actually equal. Women do not feel like they have life as a right when our bodies are constantly seen as toys. We do not feel liberty when we can’t look over at a man's paycheck and see we've earned the same amout of money. We, as women, can’t pursue happiness when our dreams are constantly smashed by the ideals of a society that always puts men first. I cannot thrive in a world where I am always shoved away. I will not live in a world where people say, “Oh, she’s just on her period,” when I’m being emotional. Our country needs change. Our world needs change. We deserve change now. Being a woman isn’t about being a housewife and a maid, it’s about being strong and running for our life when a man is near. Being a woman isn’t about loving pink and dressing up all the time, it’s about battling gender roles until men can wear pink without being called “gay” and girls can love trucks and blue without being a “tomboy.” Being a woman isn’t living, it’s fighting.

Women are paid less than men. It’s true, no matter how many people call the wage gap fake. Think Progress tells us that women make $0.78 for every dollar a man makes. Though this 22 cent difference may seem insignificant, it can really add up. On average, males earn about $940 a week. If we apply this 22 cent difference, women would only earn $733.20. This is a gap of $206.80 per week. Do you see the issue? Women are paid less money for doing the same job with the same amount of education. This is only the wage gap for white women. Asian-Americans have less of a gap at $0.90 per dollar, but all other women of color suffer even worse damage. An African-American woman can look at her co-workers paycheck and see she made $0.64 for every dollar the white male made. An American-Indian woman will see she only made $0.59 for that man’s dollar. And a Hispanic woman will look over in despair to see her $0.54 is that man’s dollar. Even if women make 99% of what a man makes, it is not enough. Women deserve the same amount of money that a man makes if they do the same work, the same hours, and have the same amount of education. This is the only way we can form a more perfect union and establish justice as the Constitution tell us to.

Another way to establish justice is abolishing objectification, cat-calling, and sexual assault. How awful it is that we have let people go on for so long thinking that it is okay to take advantage of a person for their pleasure. Not only does no mean no, but any hint of “I’m not sure,” “Maybe not” “I guess” means no. We should begin to teach that yes, absolutely, definitely means yes. There is no “Well she was asking for it,” because she was not. She was wearing clothes she was comfortable in. She was having a fun time and not considering going home with someone else. If you can’t get over that, then you’re the one with the problem. Don’t ever take advantage of a woman if she is drunk. By no means is her “yes” while she is drunk a definitive yes. 321,500 people are raped each year aged 12 and older. We sit by, watch, and let this happen. Survivors of abuse live in the dark every day. I think that maybe the worst thing about assault, other than the fact that it happens, is the fact that people are scared to say that it happened. The horrible thoughts going through these brave peoples’ minds are “What if it wasn’t actually assault? What if it wasn’t that big of a deal? What if it was my fault? What if I’m no good anymore?” These what if’s, along with the trauma they’ve gone through, haunts these people in their nightmares every night. And assault, abuse, objectification, and cat-calling doesn’t only apply to women, people of all genders feel this too.

Feminism, quite simply put, is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. What most people don’t understand is that feminism cares about giving men and all others these rights we advocate for. This isn’t very understood because of the amount of rights we fight for that men already have. Feminism is for all genders. Just as Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, I have a dream, too. I will fight for my dream. I will fight until my body is my own. I will fight until a man’s dollar is equal to mine. Until I’m not forced into a marriage I do not want to be in. Until I’m not forced to have a baby that I’m not ready to have. Until I can trust that I will never be taken advantage of. Until I do everything like a girl and I can be proud of it. Until I am a woman and I’m not scared to say so. Until I can end the patriarchy and live in a place where everyone cares for each other. Until everyone is not only created equal but also seen equal. Yes, I will fight and I refuse to quit. Join me, so we can be one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.