Strides of March: Women March for Change

Humera Khaleel, Contributor

The Women’s March on Washington was organized by four national co-chairs and a national coordinating committee. The four co-chairs were Linda Sarsour, the executive director of the Arab American Association of New York; Tamika Mallory, a political organizer and former executive director of the National Action Network; Carmen Perez, an executive director of the political action group The Gathering for Justice; and Bob Bland, a fashion designer who focuses on ethical manufacturing.

The March was a protest for all of different races, ethnicities, religions, and gender identities. An estimated 470,000 attended the women’s March on Washington.  Women around the world and especially concentrated in the U.S marched to voice their grievances with the freshly inaugurated President Trump.

Some countries hosted multiple marches. The United Kingdom has at least 14 marches planned, and organizers of the London event are expecting sizable numbers of numbers of protesters. The Facebook page for the London event had 31,000 “going” and 71,000 “invited.”

In India, the hashtag #IWillGoOut had been used by organizers across the country. Some of the protests, in solidarity with the women’s march in DC, protested an alleged mass assault on women that took place on New Year’s Eve.  Not only have marches taken place in 60 countries, but also in all 7 continents- yes, even in Antarctica; however, this march took place on a boat that traveled close to the continent, not open to the public. Why are these marches so important that brought people from all over the world together?

Every individual who joined one of these marches are keen on President Donald Trump to hear their voice.  So many people across the world held so many different charges against the president, and many of them were rooted in intolerance.

One thing became apparent: women united against the aggressive rhetoric they heard from Donald Trump.  Respect is a two way street, and it will be interesting to monitor how President Trump’s approval rates measure up throughout his presidency.