Why I'm Working on March 8th

Today is "A Day Without a Woman" and I'm headed to work.

It is not because I cannot afford to not go to work as I can. But as a salaried worker who gets paid vacation and sick days, if I don't show up at work, I still get paid. Not sure how that fits into the rhetoric about striking.

I am also at a very critical start-up moment for my new job. I am trying very hard to not bring home work or check email over weekends, so being an efficient as I can be during work hours is very important to me. And this being efficient during work means I've been so tired when I get home that I've been too tired to write much here.

I fully support everyone who does strike on Wednesday and support those who have no choice is showing up at work. If anything comes from this day is a larger examination of who provides the volunteer hours to make our schools function, who organizes the medical appointments in the family, and how many vocations are dominated by women that the threat of a strike causes places to just up and close.

As I pondered about where I usually spend my money on a workday, it was nice for me to realize that I usually get my coffee at the independent cafe co-owned by a Latina and one of my favorite lunch spots is owned by a Black woman. But in reality I'll pack my lunch and suck it up on coffee for the day. And be upset that I don't have a lot of red to wear!