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Women’s March on Washington Set for Jan. 21

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More than 200,000 women from across the country have signed up to march down the streets of Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Organizers Tamika Mallory, political organizer and former executive director of the National Action Networ;  Carmen Perez, executive director of political action group The Gathering for Justice; Bob Bland, a fashion designer who focuses on ethical manufacturing; and Linda Sarsour, executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, have said that the Women’s March on Washington is not a specifically anti-Trump protest. “We understand that [Trump] is a symptom and not the disease,” spokeswoman Cassady Fendlay told Gothamist. “This is a bigger thing than just the presidency.”

The organizers have stressed the event’s foundation and message is “inclusivity.” Sarsour explained that it as a “stand on social justice and human rights issues ranging from race, ethnicity, gender, religion, immigration and healthcare.”

The march, which has struggled with permit and planning issues, now has broad support, including the National Organization for Women, Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Amnesty International, and the NAACP.

Notable people who plan to attend and participate include Gloria Steinem and Harry Belafonte, who are serving as honorary co-chairs of the march. In a statement Steinem said: “Our constitution does not begin with ‘I, the President.’ It begins with, ‘We, the People.’ I am proud to be one of thousands who have come to Washington to make clear that we will keep working for a democracy in which we are linked as human beings, not ranked by race or gender or class or any other label.”

 

Celebrities like Amy Schumer and Samantha Bee have indicated that they also plan to attend.

 




 

Participants will gather at Independence Avenue and Third Street Southwest, near the Capitol Building, at 10:00 a.m on the 21st. The march will open with a series of speeches and proceed down Independence Avenue. The end point is being withheld for security reasons, according to organizers. The march is expected to end before dark.

Women and other supporters do not have to go to Washington, D.C., to participate, as at least 30 cities nationwide are also  holding their own women’s march rallies on 21 January. The best way to find information is to locate the state chapter for each group on the main event’s Facebook page. Protest marches will also be held in cities around the world, including Sydney, Zurich and Mexico City.

 

Women's March on Washington

The group’s Facebook page reads: “The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us. In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore.

“The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.

“We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society. We work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all. HEAR OUR VOICE.

“This is an INCLUSIVE march, and EVERYONE who supports women’s rights are welcome.”

Get tickets for the free event on Eventbrite. The website MarchMatch is a forum for those offering accommodations and transportation options.

 

Annette Johnson, editor

 

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