A year after Trump’s Inauguration, thousands of women found solidarity again in the streets for the Women’s March

By Randy Gener

NEW YORK  |  In New York City on the Upper West Side, the women’s march is back. Marchers got ready along Central Park West between 62nd and 82nd and streets.

More than 200,000 protesters marched in New York on Saturday, January 20, according to estimates by Mayor Bill De Blasio’s office.  Thousands also turned out in Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Rome and hundreds of other cities and towns.

Tomorrow, Sunday, January 21, a rally called “Power to the Polls” — organized by the leaders of last year’s Women’s March in Washington — will be held on Sunday in Las Vegas.  The Power to the Polls rally aims to launch a national voter registration and mobilization tour. The goal is to register more women to vote, and to elect more women and progressive candidates to public office.

This is What Democracy Looks Like — #womensmarchnyc — iCultWorld News Photo

 

WOMEN’S MARCH ANNIVERSARY EVENT MAP — This is What Democracy Looks Like — #womensmarchnyc  (iCultWorld News Photo)

As the map shows, hundreds of events are taking place. It’s the year-anniversary of U.s. President Donald Trump’s inauguration.  Hundreds of thousands of women and their male supporters turned out on Saturday for the second Women’s March, a nationwide series of protests against Trump marking the end of his tumultuous first year in office.

Officially, march organizers are describing the events taking place in cities around the country and the world as “marches” rather than “protests” — and they stress that the purpose is to encourage voter participation in the 2018 midterm elections and beyond.

In New York City, several speakers urged women to channel their energy into helping Democrats win races in the upcoming midterm elections.

The singer Halsey delivered a stirring speech at the Women’s March in New York City earlier today. Titled “A Story Like Mine” and written as a poem, it recounts experiences with rape, abortion, assault and miscarriage. It concludes: “The year is 2018 and I’ve realized that nobody is safe long as she is alive.”

With apparent sarcasm, Trump responded on Twitter by touting what he said were economic gains of the past year that benefited women.

“Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March,” he wrote. “Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!”

The president’s tweet came after women and their allies poured out for the marches that marked one year since he took office. Protest signs everywhere retorted back, as it were.  “Make America Kind Again,” one signs stated. “Make America Mexico Again” went one sarcastic sentiment.

This is What Democracy Looks Like — #womensmarchnyc — iCultWorld News Photo

“I’m Hispanic, I’m a Mother, I’m a Business Owner & I Vote” touted another woman.

“Last Year I Was Scared, This Year I Am Angry,” said another marcher. Other signs bobbing in the crowd said “Truth, We Miss You” and “Build A Wall Around Trump! I’ll Pay For It.”

Other signs were not as concerned with being kind: “Dump Trump,” “Fuck Trump,” “Last Year I Was Scared, This Year I Am Angry,” and “Truck Fump” (rather inexplicable, that last one).

Using the president’s “own language,” one sign had a picture of Trump with the poop emoji spewing from his mouth. “S***hole-N-Chief,” it read.

“Go Fact Yourself,” read one button. “Michelle Obama 2020” said another. Not far away was “Oprah 2020.”

The government shutdown became a rallying cry.

The federal government shutdown that took effect early Saturday did not dissuade marchers from taking to the streets.

The New York marchers stretched for 30 city blocks along Central Park West, from its starting point in front of the Trump International Hotel at 59th Street all the way back to the Museum of Natural History at 86th.

The NY march stretched more than 20 blocks from the main stage near Columbus Circle and spilled over to parallel streets.  The crowd filled the side streets along that stretch too. They stood shoulder to shoulder on 71st and 75th, waiting for the police to remove the barricades so they could join the sea of people.
 

 

 
 
 

The pink hats came back out in Washington.

Many of the protesters wore pink knit “pussy hats,” which were created for last year’s march as a reference to a comment made by Trump about female genitalia. The caps quickly became a symbol of women’s empowerment and opposition to the new president in the early days of his administration.

The coordinated rallies in Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and about 250 other cities featured speakers who blasted Trump for policies that many said hurt women and urged voters to turn out for congressional elections in November. Sister rallies were staged in cities overseas.


“Your vote is the most powerful tool at your individual disposal,” actress Eva Longoria told the Los Angeles rally. “Everybody who has the privilege of voting must do so.”

Organizers said the platform for the 2018 women’s march is expanding. Marchers are rallying for women’s rights, immigrant, worker disability and environmental rights.

One of the sticking points that led to the shutdown — disagreement over extending legal status to immigrants brought into the country illegally as children — has become a rallying cry for organizers.

Last year, about a million people turned out to march on Washington in response to President Trump’s win. It was one of the largest mass protests in our country’s history.

 


#POWERTOTHEPOLLS Follows Women’s March

A year after Trump’s Inauguration, thousands of women found solidarity again in the streets for the Women’s March

LAS VEGAS |  On Sunday, it’s all about “Power to the Polls” in Las Vegas.

A rally called “Power to the Polls” — organized by the leaders of last year’s Women’s March in Washington — will be held on Sunday in Las Vegas.

 

This is What Democracy Looks Like — #womensmarchnyc — iCultWorld News Photo

The rally focuses on voter registration and electing more women in the government ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.  Organizers want to register 1 million new voters and get more strong advocates for women’s rights voted into office.

 

When is it?
Sunday, January 21. The rally starts at 10 a.m. PST and is planned to end at 4 p.m. Many anniversary events across the country will be held Jan. 20.
Where?
The rally will start at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Why Nevada?
The state, which also became the site of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, holds power to influence the Senate in 2018, organizers say.
Is this a march?
No. #POWERTOTHEPOLLS is a rally. “We’ve marched before and we will march again, but we’ve chosen to make the Vegas anniversary event a rally and literal call to action that will kick-off not simply a march but a national tour: the #PowerToThePolls campaign,” organizers say.
Will there be marches around the nation?
Yes. There are hundreds of events planned across the nation and around the world to mark the anniversary of the 2017 Women’s March.

To find a location near you, visit the Women’s March Anniversary Map.
Events outside of Nevada coinciding with Power to the Polls are not all affiliated with the Women’s March national organization.

What’s the goal this year?
The Power to the Polls rally aims to launch a national voter registration and mobilization tour. The goal is to register more women to vote, and to elect more women and progressive candidates to public office.

March organizers hope to build on the energy felt by Trump opponents after his surprise election victory and channel it into gains for progressive candidates in November’s midterm elections, using the theme “Power to the Polls.”

Activists say Trump’s policies rolling back birth control and equal pay protections have propelled many women into activism for the first time. In Virginia state legislative polls, 11 of the 15 newly elected Democrats were women.

Saturday’s march follows what many see as a pivotal year for women’s rights, with the rise of the #MeToo and #TimesUp social media campaigns against sexual harassment and misconduct. The movements sprang up after a string of scandals involving powerful men in Hollywood, Washington and elsewhere.

About Admin

CultureofOneWorld.org is a NYC-based production, event and media project devoted to U.S. news, foreign diplomacy, cultural issues, innovative art projects and journalism in the public interest. Learn more about the proprietor at MediaKit.RandyGener.org

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