Protesting and marching have been a significant part of our country’s history for years. After the 2016 presidential campaign, a recording of former President Donald Trump from 2005 was released. Trump commented on using his celebrity status to force himself onto various women. From there, a woman in Hawaii voiced her opinion about forming a pro-women’s march in response to Trump’s victory and the comments made about women. Thousands of women signed up to march. The march was scheduled for January 21, 2017, a day after Trump’s inauguration. 500,000 people attended the first march and many sported bright pink hats with cat ears as a symbol to Trump’s earlier comments. Since then, women’s marches have spread to all 50 states and over 30 different countries. The first women’s march held in DC paved a way for women across the globe to march for their beliefs and display the impact of themselves on the world.
Another women’s march was held in Washington DC October 2, 2021. 10,000 people marched. The main mission and principle of this women’s march was to “harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change.” The march focused on ending violence towards women, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA rights, and workers rights. The organizers believed that “all women should be paid equitably, with access to affordable childcare, sick days, healthcare, paid family leave, and healthy work environments.” They also believed that civil rights, “are our birthright, including voting rights, freedom to worship without fear of intimidation or harassment, freedom of speech, and protections for all citizens regardless of race, gender, age or disability.” Additional principles instilled included disability rights, environmental justice, and immigrant rights. Marchers shared, “rooted in the promise of America’s call for huddled masses yearning to breathe free, we believe in immigrant and refugee rights regardless of status or country of origin.”
These women’s marches were and still are a way for women to get together and voice their opinion on topics important to them; it demonstrates to lawmakers and people in positions of power what almost half of the population believes in. You can learn more about the Women’s March at https://womensmarch.com/.
Written by Isabella Silver of Winston Churchill High School
Photo Courtesy of WomenArtistUpdates via Creative Commons