I Have a Nightmare

I have a nightmare that one day our daughters will have to fight for the same rights our mothers and grandmothers already thought they had won.

I have a nightmare that when I get a job, I won't be paid the same amount for the same work as a man and that members of my government will still be making excuses as to why this is acceptable.

I have a nightmare that I might watch a friend die because she doesn't have access to safe abortion services and feels trapped into going to a non-reputable person or taking matters into her own hands.

I have a nightmare that I might not be able to afford birth control when I need it or be denied an insurance plan that covers it by my employer.

I have a nightmare that a friend of mine could get raped at a party and her rapist won't be prosecuted because of what she was wearing or because she had been drinking.

I have a nightmare that if I get married or divorced and change my name, I won't have the necessary documents to get everything changed over in time for me to vote on Election Day.

These aren't the kind of nightmares you wake up from realizing you're just afraid of things that can never hurt you or are unlikely to happen. These aren't the kind of nightmares brought on by watching a scary movie or reading a creepy book. This is a true American horror story.

Right now, today, there are people in our government making the argument that equal pay is "condescending" to women. They are saying that achieving equality for women is an "obsession of the left." Even worse, there are American citizens who are buying into this and making women's equality a part of the party games.They are trying to fight against women's health and they are contributing to the shaming of women who have been the victim of crimes.

It's like the real life Walking Dead only the people I'm afraid of aren't zombies. They are people walking around so empty of reason and courage to act, that they are putting my generation in real danger. They've had their brains eaten by advertising and crafty politicians who like to quote the Constitution and make people afraid they're going to lose their freedom if others gain the same rights they've always had. They've had their brains eaten by a society that tells them if they act other people won't like them and that their voices don't matter.

I think the time has come for all of us to wake up those who live in the shadows. We need to become the nightmare of those who are trying to scare us and those who are standing by and doing nothing.The women of this country deserve for us to do no less. My generation of young women needs you to register if you're not registered, vote for our dreams, and end our nightmares.


(Lyrics PG-13)