See her face, hear her voice

This weekend’s march reminded me of one of my favorite sculptures at the Louvre, Nike of Samothrace, also known as Winged Victory of Samothrace. If you are ever fortunate to visit the Louvre in Paris and stand before this eight-foot tall, Greek original, stunning sculpture, I promise you; you will fall in love with her.

By Sharon Mollerus - Nike of Samothrace, Louvre Museum, Paris, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53216961

Nike of Samothrace was chiseled around 190 B.C. She is a monument robed in white Parian marble drapery, crafted with shading and depth. At first glance, you can see her Greek robes flowing in the robust wind, while her wings whip with such fierceness that you can almost hear the heavens tremble. Her beautiful chest is thrust upward, with courage and confidence, as she stands, one foot in front of the other, ready to march for triumph and victory. As you stand in her presence, you can see and feel that Nike of Samothrace embodies fortitude, splendor, and resolution.

By Sharon Mollerus - Nike of Samothrace, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53216979

However, her face and arms are missing. The bravery in her eyes and the compressed jaw of ferocity is gone. Her arms raised high in conquest are literally lost and possibly dust.

By Unknown - dyndns.org (March-2005), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=362212

In mythology, Nike was a Greek goddess. Her father was Pallas, the Titan god of Warcraft and Battle. Her mother Styx, who symbolized hatred, was the goddess of the underworld River Styx. Gods and warriors used her name as an agent in oaths to bind the gods. And their daughter, Nike, representing victory, served as Zeus’ charioteer in the Titan Wars. Fearless and brave, she epitomized strength, speed, and triumph.

Amateur archaeologist Charles Champoiseau found this stunning sculpture on 

By Sharon Mollerus - Nike of Samothrace, The Louvre, Paris, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53216963

Samothrace, a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Champoiseau’s team found her in the ruins of a grand, two-tiered fountain that, in 190 B.C., overlooked the harbor and the sea. The lower pool of the fountain reflected a victorious portrait of her beauty to the heavens. Situated on a precipice, Samothrace represented a giant ship, while Nike stood at the bow as the ship's guide, as if to tell the Greeks of Samothrace, “don’t be afraid, I will guide and protect you.”

On Saturday, January 21, over five million women and men marched in the Women’s March around the world. The March was the day after the United States inaugurated its new President, Donald Trump, who entered with the least approval ratings in history. Many people are asking why these women marched as if their signs were not legible and their voices were not loud enough. In many ways, Nike of Samothrace answers that question.

Throughout Trump’s run for office, he has objectified women with statements like “grab them by the pussy,” “look at her,” “you have to treat ‘em like shit.” He has called breastfeeding “disgusting,” and stated that Megyn Kelly “had blood coming out of her wherever.” Again, to question why women walk in this March completely overlooks all of the objectification, insults, offenses, and assaults that he has made on women. However, he has slighted not just women. He has:

- mocked the handicap

- denied climate change 

- threatened the welfare and civil rights of the United States LGBTQ community

- advocated for guns in schools

- reversed abortion policies for aid to non-governmental organizations that 

By bradhoc from USA - Women's March Chicago, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55293279

receive U.S. funding

- vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants

- moved forward to obtain access to the Dakota Access Pipeline

- violated the Emolument’s clause of our Constitution by receiving payments from foreign governments to his businesses

- imposed a gag order on the Environmental Protection Agency 
- imposed a freeze on EPA spending

- proposed to end National Endowment for the Arts

- planned to end the National Endowment for Humanities

- warned that he wants to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement

And this is just a short list!

What does this March accomplish? It achieves the same thing that Trump accomplished: it sends a message. However, the message that millions delivered on Saturday from the Women’s March is that we, as a collective resistance, will march into battle for the marginalized, the immigrants, the forgotten, the undermined, the less-fortunate, our land, our planet, our schools, our children, our National parks, and for ourselves.

By Piotr Frydecki - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17636425

Nike of Samothrace may have no face to identify her, but, in the context of the Women’s March, she has many faces. The faces you see are our mothers, our fathers, our grandparents, our children, our neighbors, and our social media friends from around the world. If you look closely, you will see that she is Muslim, he is Black, he is gay, she is queer, she is disabled, he is transsexual, she’s a P.O.W., he’s an Olympian, she’s a scientist, they are parents, they are teachers, they are friends, and they are loved ones. They are people; people who genuinely care about our future and our progress as humans. Unlike Nike, we can see her face, hear her voice, see her footsteps, and follow her in her March.

By Darren Inouye - Flickr: Wings of Samothrace, CC BY 2.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17742781

Moreover, much like Nike of Samothrace, we will stand at the helm and say to those who are troubled about our new and disheartening future, “Don’t be afraid. March with us. We will guide each other, and protect each other.” Like Nike, we will stand fearless, against the winds of change, with our arms held high and our eyes wide open. We will continue to march to let this one man and his oil-hungry, billionaire accomplices know that they will never diminish us, never categorize us, never separate us, never obstruct our speech, never limit our knowledge, never squash our progress, never damage this wondrous planet, and never end our ongoing scientific research. We will listen for false truths, we will look for wrongdoing, we will speak up, speak out, we will be seen, and we will be heard.