Testimonies

As a working class white woman that has faced sexual harassment, assault, and exploitation in and out of the workplace, I pledge to strike from all paid AND unpaid work Jan. 20-21st against our governments racist and classist anti-woman agenda.

I pledge to strike for Women’s right to FREE birth control, testing, and abortions.

I pledge to strike for Women of Color, Immigrant Women, and their future children who are faced with a new regime determined to terrorize and destroy their communities.

I pledge to strike for Native Women on the front lines of environmental justice protecting our land, water, and resources.

I pledge to strike in solidarity with ALL WOMEN, because despite our great social and economic value in society, our labor is consistently undervalued and unrecognized.

Join your sisters and I! Pledge to strike whether it's from paid work, laundry, cooking, faking smiles, or emotional labor. STRIKE!

L.B., New York

I pledge to strike because I want to protect women's health rights! I am standing in solidarity with Planned Parenthood. Lawmakers are out to defund PP. Which means preventing patients-who are mostly people from urban and rural communities- healthcare access. Access to healthcare is a human right.

Will you stand in solidarity with me and my sisters? Sign this pledge and commit to strike.

R. R., New York

I pledge to strike to protest the Trump administration their sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, and Islamophobic agenda! We need to stand together and show our power!

Please sign the pledge and engage in the Women's strike and the Women's march wherever you are!

- N. W., Oregon

I'm signing the pledge in memory of my mother and all the hard work she did to raise her family. Her work was working in the fields on her knees in the hot Fla. sun who told us not to work when the boss failed to bring drinking water. This was my first lesson in striking for what's right!

- L.T., Oregon

I am the only minority in my office and I struggle daily as a person of color in corporate America. I am treated differently, excluded, abused; yet, needed. I am striking because my talent, energy, and time should be spent elsewhere on this day to support a much greater movement. I am striking because I don't want to be surrounded by those who oppress, participate in a broken system, deny/ignore injustice, and support a fascist demagogue...

- C.E., New York

I'm sick of protesting the same things my elders have protested. America has abandoned me as a woman of color. I’ll be striking from: Paid job, sexism, emotional labor.

- K.L., Illinois

I’m striking for many reasons, but one is that… I would like to see a movement of women be the first to lead a really large-scale mobilization against labor exploitation. I will be striking from my job as a college professor and from making everybody else around me’s jobs much easier by being accommodating and nice and false flattery, for starters.

- D., New York

I live in a youth shelter and I get sexually harassed and assaulted on a pretty regular basis, so I guess for my strike I am going to give up being nice and start being a bitch and not f#$%ing take it anymore.

I'm over being body checked ("accidentally run into") by the guy who works for the super of my WORK PLACE. I'm tired of being told to smile on the street. I'm tired of looking in the mirror and thinking I need to wear more concealer. I'm tired of getting the coffee at work. I'm tired of being expected to manage a household just because a man makes more than me so that means he 'brings home the bacon' and that should 'be rewarded with blowjobs'. Now is the time. I am striking from: paid job, housework, de-escalating a situation just because its uncomfortable, make up, shaving, fake smiles, sex (if I don't want it).

- A.T., New York

I’m the only woman on my team and it definitely would make a big impact if I didn’t work, because the few times that I have not come into work for whatever reason, when I come back the one female manager says … “things didn’t go very well the day you were out.” So I think it definitely would send a message, because I already feel like they definitely take me for granted. I don’t really have issues on the domestic front aside from a lazy male roommate, but I definitely think it would sent a message to him as well, to make him aware of what I’m doing, and have him think about his actions.

- Stephanie

Enough is enough, this county does not work for the advancement or benefit of the people. It benefits the rich and elite and robs the everyday hardworking woman and men. This disrespect is and will continue to hurt our children and the future.

- H.R., Illinois

What I like about it is not so much the paid job part, because I can take a day off, but where it says, “Men should strike too but they should take on additional work at home,” I like that because I could tell my partner, “Oh, you have to do more work today, because I’m on strike and I’m going to be doing these other things.” It would be a nice way for him to contribute… And I want to ask other people to sign it so I could talk with them about the demands, and see what women are thinking about the demands we have. What are women angry about and thinking about?

- Allison

I will be on strike from paid labor, being quiet in the face of sexism, tolerating bigotry and hatred, fake smiles, allowing men to feel comfortable/avoiding uncomfortable conversations, cleaning up after men, ignoring harassment.

- M.J., New York

Yesterday I was talking to my mom, who, I wouldn’t call her a feminist at all, she’s pretty traditional and conservative. But even with her, some of the things we talked about outside of not going to work, not doing housework, not doing laundry or childcare, I was comfortable mentioning those to her, like, hey you can do things and be an ally with me, even if you’re not exactly on the same page as I am with feminism.

- A.

I’m striking because I’m utterly exhausted. I have a 4-year old, I work full time, my husband works full time, and life just often feels like drudgery and impossible… It’s just bonecrushing sometimes…. It doesn’t have to be this way, we live in a nation that has so much money and power and yet us, the people that live here, are being whittled down so we can barely do anything—can’t have leisure time, can’t participate in organizations… I’m in the movement because I want something else besides just work at a job and work at home.

- A.T., New York

I'm no longer going to accept one sexist remark, insinuation, action or verbalized thoughts without calling the person on it.

- S.H., New Mexico

I was sexually harassed, at the age of eight, by a male friend and his friends. And even at his age, the power imbalance between girls and boys and men and women is so apparent that they felt that they could do this, and get away with it, and make me feel ashamed and horrible. And to have a president that embodies that, and not only gets away with that but seems to be proud of it and legitimizes it just fills me with anger and rage.

We need to stand up for our basic rights, such as to express ourselves freely without fear, to have reproductive freedom and to have the systems in place for when we choose to have children we can take care of them and ourselves. Not to mention health care.

- T.W., North Carolina

I think we’re at a very important place in history, I’m 65 years old, I’ve never seen something like this happen before. I never thought I would. When a president-elect, who has been in that position for a week, is naming white supremacists, I mean blatant racists and anti-Semites into his government.

- A.

These things have been issues prior to this campaign or election cycle. I think this election cycle really just highlighted the apathy around degrading women, around sexual assault, around racism, around Islamophobia… I like “strike” as it relates to housework. It really points to the fact that we do labor. We don’t call it that, people don’t refer to it as labor. I ran my uncle around to doctor’s appointments today, which is work, and we should start calling it what it is… I feel like using the word strike really highlights the fact that it is work.

- P.

I’ll be striking from emotional work and tolerating sexism, as well as jobs and things seen "typical” of my sex- shaving, support of the household, etc.

- B.H., Maryland

Why would walking out of my job or not going for one day matter? I work closely with a badass female manager but somehow in the company we’ve managed—and it’s a company of all dude directors and designers and tech—we’ve somehow managed to be the ones that have taken on the classic female roles so I’m doing all the f---- dishes when they leave the dishes in the sink, I’m taking out the garbage. When they put the recycling in the trash, I’m the one sorting it… I’m cleaning up all these messes that pile up the minute I turn my back so would it be noticed? Hell yes.

- Valerie

I will not be treated as a second class citizen. Race discrimination, age discrimination, reproductive freedom, marital rights, health care...

- C.P., Massachusetts

I’ll be striking from: My paid job, the emotional contortions to make sure I don't make anyone uncomfortable with my power/strength/intelligence, cooking, sweeping, laundry, dishes, household errands, groceries, fake smiles, flirting, makeup, cleaning, sex, hypersexualization of myself/my body, meekness, the word SORRY, fear, changes in my behavior/actions/walking routes that ostensibly protect me from predators but effectively oppress me further by putting the burden on ME to change… any and all forms of subtle victim-blaming.

- L.K., New York

I’m striking because when I tell people I don’t want children, the response is always some variation of, oh, you’ll grow out of that. And I don’t think it should be assumed that a woman wants children. So I will be on strike from work, I will be going to the March on Washington, I’ll be on strike from all kinds of work, I’m not going to wear makeup, I’m not going to make myself look attractive and I won’t be packing a bra.

- C., New York

When I was 9, my friend's mom shot herself and her three children. She was mentally ill. I believe she and her children might still be alive if Americans' taxes were spent on affordable, high quality healthcare and childcare instead of tax breaks for millionaires. America's women need help. If men won't help us, then we'll help each other. We are stronger than they could ever dream.

- A.C., California

I am striking because since Trump was elected, I have … felt trapped in a state of PTSD, remembering how it felt all the times I've been assaulted, abused, or belittled. …I know it's only going to get worse now that he has endorsed and condoned the subordination of women country-wide. I look forward to this day of striking so I can go one day without carrying these burdens, and I look forward to trying out a lot of new daily bantam-weight protests, that I will hopefully be able to enact often over the course of the next four years.

- L.K., New York

I am sick of having people who hate minorities and women in the White House dictating the tone of how we are treated. I am sick of the old white men acting like kids in the candy store privatizing everything so they can fill their pockets and walk away. I’m on strike from: Being treated like crap; all housework.

- M.M., Washington

I am not going to be at work, I will not be answering any emails, I’ll be striking from wearing makeup, from smiling—I imagine I’ll be very upset—and I will not let anyone pat me on the back and tell me it’s going to be OK.

I'm tired of white supremacy and the male patriarchy and the negative effects it's had to my personal health. I’ll be striking from all of the patriarchal capitalist white supremacist bullsh*t that we call America.

- N.A., New York

As a woman and a worker, I am overburdened by the demands on me by my job and making up for the inadequacies under this broken system that leaves my family without basic supports like jobs with due process and decent wages, well funded schools and health care for all. I demand RESPECT for women's labor that makes the world go round and will take a two day strike to join with my sisters in demanding MUCH better from this society! We have the richest people in the world taking so much of our wealth, and sticking it to us by fighting paid family leave, national health care, adequate public childcare and K-20 public education.

- C.C., Florida

What I love about it, just seeing flirting and fake smiles next to housework and paid work, kind of all together. “R-e-s-p-e-c-t,” I love that—made me kind of laugh and cry… The strike part of it that would be harder is actually the childcare part, cause I have a 4-year old—if they’re near you, it’s impossibly because he’s so needy… But it would give me leverage to remind my husband, you try to get on top of this, you try to serve his needs all the time… I think it would give me more leverage to just focus on political work for those couple of days.

- Annie

I’m striking because my boss is a Trump supporter who feels the need to talk to me like trash.

- A.P., North Carolina

Women should have the full freedom to deny society's gender roles and still be loved, appreciated, and successful. I’ll be on strike from: Letting men open doors for me (and telling them it makes me feel weak and unequal when they do), from moving over when a man is walking in my path on the sidewalk, from wearing attractive but uncomfortable clothes, from curling my eyelashes, from shaving, and from being quiet about the little sexist things I see everyday.

- M.M., New York

A lot of women from my office actually came to our meeting last week, but my first thought about this was, OK, I could probably not go to work, but no-one would necessarily notice. Until I realized all of them were saying, “let us know about that strike.” So, OK, I have ten women already at work, my boss it going to be pissed when all of us don’t show up. So that made it feel more real.

- A.

I will be on strike from housework, emotional work, and all acts of misogyny toward me and all women. I will be calling it out and naming it every time I encounter it those days… the sexual harassment. the acts of disrespect, and the treatment as less than, just simply because I am a woman.

- S.F., Michigan

The older I get, the more sexism I face on my job. And then getting closer to having kids, I see how much I’m paid, how expensive they are, lack of childcare, lack of paid parental leave, how much money I’m going to lose by having them. Occupy changed the tone of what people are willing to do. Fast food workers are going on strike, Black Lives Matter is taking over highways. Our country is at a point where we are doing pretty big actions and I’m excited about my movement doing something big like that, too. That is why I’m striking on Jan 20 and 21.

- Erin

I was sexually harassed… And to have a president that embodies that, and not only gets away with that, but seems to be proud of it and legitimizes it just fills me with anger and rage.

- A.E., New York

I'm a Muslim, first generation American, mother, wife and mad as Hell! Not on my watch will this monster TERRORIZE my family, community and my fellow Americans! We've seen this evil before and it's my duty as a human being to speak and fight… Every single breath I take will be used to demand equality! Let us women know how you can do this with out our contributions to family and society.

N.F., Oregon

Tired of doing more work for less pay and constantly dealing with a different set of standards than men do.I’ll be striking from ALL OF IT!!

D.M., Louisiana

When we unite we are powerful. Enough is enough.I’ll be striking from all that I do on a daily basis that contributes to society.

T.Y., Mississippi

I want access to free contraception, affordable abortion, free childcare, andpaid family leave (in my blue state but also for women living in red states). I want respect (from my partner specifically) for my domestic and emotional labor, as well as for my lower paid but socially important professional work … I’ll be striking from cooking and laundry for my partner, emotional work in my relationship, and fake smiles and fake contentment.

M.K., New York

I'm participating in the strike because it's important that the incoming administration understand we will not be silent as our rights are taken away from us. As a woman I have the right to control my own body. As a Muslim immigrant I have the right to feel safe in my own country which is the U.S.

A.C., Washington

I want people to see what women contribute to society.I will be striking from tolerating any form of sexism, paid work (if I can afford to), any domestic work, almost all emotional labor.

A.J., Minnesota

I do not accept an administration filled with sexual assailants, neo-nazis, racists, and sexism. And I want to fight back. Hopefully I can get off from work, if I can't I refuse to put up with any of my male customers’ bullsh*t. I won't be putting on makeup and I won't keep my thoughts to myself.

A.C., Massachusetts

I’ll be on strike from my paid job as a teacher and administrator, my unpaid job as a mother of a 3 year old boy, my unpaid job as a wife and a housekeeper, cook, driver, and shopper. I will be on strike from the toll of being a survivor of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, including date rape and the misogynistic culture of our society.

K.W., Arizona

I want every man in my life--from Trump to my partner--to know that I'm sick of cleaning up their messes, my body belongs to me, and I won't be quiet anymore. I’ll be striking from work, sex, laundry, care taking, shaving, and favors.

J.M., Florida

My work is valuable, but not fairly compensated. I strike against an agenda that strives to make my healthcare even more expensive and puts me in physical danger. I’ll be striking from work and housework.

J.D., Colorado

Between my long hours at work, the after hours emails I am expected to respond to right away, the emotional work in my relationship, housework, paying the bills, fighting with health insurance companies over even the simplest medical care, always having to navigate the world with a smile to get by -- I have no time for myself and not enough time to fight for women's liberation. I’ll be on strike from my paid job, having sex ifI don't feel like having sex, FAKE SMILES, fake flirting, appeasing male egos and their fragile masculinity.

L.D., New York

Because I am tired, so very tired of pulling 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shift work - paid, unpaid, underpaid, and un/under appreciated and compensated. Women deserve control over their time and their bodies.

X.N., Washington

I'm exhausted from navigating daily discrimination, overt and subtle. I’ll be striking from: My job, fake smiles, apologetic speech.

A.T., New York

I believe a brighter future is possible through collective action.I’ll be striking from: Paid jobs, household labor, and emotion work on behalf of men.

H.G., Florida

As a male, I'll be taking on extra work so my female coworkers can strike without fear of falling behind at work.

T.M., New York

As an older woman I fear utterly the attacks by both parties on Social Security and Medicare… To have a president who brags and exemplifies using privilege to grope and grab us is intolerable. I can't stand it and we as a sex will not stand for it. I’ll be striking from emotional work and my paid job.

C.G., New York

I am fed up. I've been fed up for a long time. I will not stay silent any longer. I’ll be on strike from: Working a job in the boy's club known as the film industry that keeps women down but depends on us to do the hard work; Being anything other than what I want to be.

B.H., California

It's about time we stood up in solidarity and make our voices heard. I’ll be on strike from: Everything.

M.Y., Georgia

I will not give up the rights we have fought for and won! I will not tolerate any disrespect towards any person. I will boycott the inauguration, tv, radio and social media. I will not spend any money any where. I will be with my family and I will pray.

P.S., Massachusetts

I was raised in a society in which men were positioned as 'leaders', yet women were encouraged to do most of the physical and emotional labor, and extend themselves to accommodate men, and society as a whole. And I'm over it! I'm young and I've got no children of my own yet, but I've watched my mother bust her ass as a social worker for years, then come home and have to care for both me, and my grandmother. I'm so thankful I'm old enough to take care of myself and lighten her load, but so many women are burdened with so much, at work, at home, and in LIFE, and will carry that burden until they die.I’ll be on strike from: Tolerating sexism, tolerating the catcalls and advances of men on the street, pressures from the women in my own household to adhere to the gender roles deeply ingrained in them (ex. wearing heels and makeup, doing my hair in a style that suits them), sex.

C.C., New York

I fight back against how the work we do each day to keep the country running is unrecognized and underpaid.I’ll be striking from: Paid work and unpaid emotional labor (managing feelings and moods of others, pretending to be content and complacent in social situations, showing respect where none is due).

K.H., New York

I'm tired, angry, fed up, and READY TO FIGHT, TOGETHER!I’ll be striking from: My paid job, housework, emotional labor, accommodating men.

S.R., New York

I’ll be striking because somehow my mood is a discussion point. Because men at work openly talk about how they don't like working under the female managers because they're high-strung or demanding. Because my father looks at me like I'm precious anytime I talk about the political. I’ll be striking from: Paid work, making men feel comfortable in my presence, makeup, smiling, ‘hosting,’ shoes with any kind of heel, acting like I'm “ok.”

A.H., New York

Folks need to know how much free labor women do. I’ll be striking from: all of the above.

R.M., Ohio

I am afraid for myself and my friends and my grand daughters future, and I want to draw attention to how much we contribute.

L.L., New York

I want to call attention to the significance of women’s work and to protest Trump's election and horrific treatment and attitude towards women.I’ll be striking from: administrative work connected to my art practice, i.e. email.

H.D., New York

Women should receive equal pay for equal work. Families should receive paid leave at the birth of their child for no less than 6 months. Childcare should be publicly funded as should colleges, single payer health insurance like Medicaid should be available to everyone. The wealthy should be taxed and contribute to society. Police forces should be demilitarized and serve the communities they are in. I’ll be striking from: Housework, meetings, reading any news, running errands, cooking.

A.C., Minnesota

It is important to let the incoming administration that we will not stand for this hate mongering speech and action in our country. We will not let Americans be harmed by his appointments and we will do everything we can to protect those put in danger / victimized by his presence in the White House.

K.R., New York

I'm sick tired and fed up with being a second class citizen for so many reasons. I’ll be striking from all the B.S. I let slide daily with men who have no clue.

N.L., Florida

I’ll be striking to join the local anti-inaugural protests, to stand in solidarity with women around the country against an incoming president and administration who have no regard for women's lives/rights. I'll be striking for reproductive freedom, for an end to racist/sexist/homophobic and other types of hate violence, for a $15 minimum wage for workers, and so many other reasons. I'm self-employed but will be taking the day off work and letting all my clients know why.

M.C., Louisiana

Women deserve freedom to self-determination - Trump threatens all of that.

S.H., Connecticut

I cannot work respectfully in a society that does not respect me. I’ll be striking from housework, emotional work, tolerating sexism.

K.K., New York

Women keep the world running and we deserve equal rights, I’ll be striking from paid work, making people comfortable at my own expense.

V.R., New York

Women are essential to the proper function of society and deserve access to all the rights we're entitled to. By striking, we can show how big our impact is, when we choose not to play by the patriarchy's rules.I’ll be striking from all of the above (paid job, housework, emotional work, tolerating sexism), including bras.

C.S., New York

I'm striking because I want to send a clear message to my clients and neighbors that as a queer / trans small business owner, I oppose the Trump regime. I’ll be striking from: Running my business.

A.N., North Carolina

I am tired of performing acts of unpaid labor for the benefit of a patriarchal society that won't do sh*t to protect me.I’ll be striking from: Emotional labor, protecting men's feelings, dismissing my valid needs as a woman of color.

A.R., New York

I think we need to show our power! I’ll be on strike from: Work and shopping.

M.C., Colorado

I worked like a mule. Job as a nurse resulting in 2 serious injuries. 3 kids. All the laundry, housework, cooking, No help from the kids father, husband of 22 years. Left because of emotional abuse.

V.H., Florida