Women’s March Poster 2017
The shocking jolt of the election propelled a reaction that has resulted in voices being raised on inequity and injustice across a number of areas. Women are raising their voices against their assaulters. Women are voting. Women are running for, and winning, public office in record numbers (albeit not nearly close to parity – yet!).
Saturday, January 19th is the 3rd annual Women’s March. The first march took place following the 2016 presidential election and coincided with the inauguration weekend in January 2017.
Bewilderment
There was a palpable sense of bewilderment that hit the country and globe when the uncivil discourse witnessed throughout the 2016 campaign prevailed to beat out what was largely thought to be the election of the first female president of the United States. The fact that Hillary Clinton garnered 3 million more votes added a fierce dose of insult to injury.
At every turn, the Trump campaign seemed to hit a new bigoted low – from openly admitting to having the power to physically assault women, to disparaging an entire ethnic group by labeling them rapists, to attacking the grieving parents of a deceased soldier.
These attacks were grotesque at best and clearly demonstrated that the candidate’s volatile temperament made him unfit for the presidency of the United States. Over and over, he demonstrated that he was completely untethered from reality. And yet, he went on to become the Republican Party’s front-runner.
The (overly) Qualified Candidate
Meanwhile, for the flaws that critics will readily point out about Hillary Clinton, she cannot be dismissed as the inferior choice. Aside from the basics of being a reasoned human being with a stable temperament, Hillary Clinton has spent decades in public service and brings a number of perspectives that were (and still are) completely lacking in her opponent. She remembers going to law school when people asked women why they would be so selfish as to take a seat away from a male law student. She spent two terms as first lady and served four years as Secretary of State, becoming the most travelled Secretary of State in U.S. history, accruing nearly one million miles of travel.
She understands there are no quick fixes, and she is keenly aware of how long-standing institutions work. She is process-oriented and values the need to work within established parameters in order to adjust them. Anyone who has worked in the public sector understands you cannot just take a giant sledgehammer to an entire system. Instead, you apply reasoned, thoughtful changes to policies and practices that will steer a behemoth in the right direction. Creating real change requires this understanding, a strong vision and strategy, a patient temperament, and a sense of empathy – the basic skills of good leadership.
There was talk of a Clinton administration launching an initiative to take a serious look at the wage gap; someone was finally going to set parameters for collecting this data on a large, consistent scale. And other issues, like a decent amount of maternity leave, public child daycare, and women’s healthcare were all issues that would likely get more attention. These basic investments in creating a healthy, more educated, flourishing society have long been lacking in our country.
The Women’s March is Born
All this is to say that the election hit lots of us hard, particularly women. So, it is not surprising that immediately following the stun of the election results, talks of a march began circulating online. Women were going to take their antipathy to Washington – by foot… and bus, and train, and plane. It just kept growing and growing. Then those who could not make it to Washington started planning local sister marches. An estimated 5 million people of all genders marched across America in over 400 marches; an additional 2 million participated in an estimated 650 marches globally. It was an extraordinary undertaking – successfully executed within about 2 months time. Cities were inundated as participants far surpassed estimates.
In LA where I marched, subways were completed jammed and getting to the event was a challenge. We made our way slowly, patiently, and when we arrived, we melted into an enormous sea of anger, hope, and love. It was citizenry at its finest. No violence or major injuries were reported.
Though the numbers were a bit lower the next year, estimates still reached over one million participants. The shocking jolt of the election propelled a reaction that has resulted in voices being raised on inequity and injustice across a number of areas. Women are raising their voices against their assaulters. Women are voting. Women are running for, and winning, public office in record numbers (albeit not nearly close to parity – yet!). Women are participating, not by taking a giant sledgehammer to the system, but by engaging in the process, applying reasoned, thoughtful changes to policies and practices that will steer this behemoth in the right direction.
Join us on Saturday, January 19th for the 3rd annual Women March at a city near you: https://www.womensmarch.com/2019/ (#womenswave).
If you’re interested in proudly proclaiming your support for women, pick up a Humble & Poe feminist t-shirt before the big day. Use discount code: FEMINIST. And remember, a portion of every sale at Humble & Poe goes to organizations doing important work for women.