Are you a woman who isn’t 100% sure what the Women’s marches were all about? Don’t worry, I was too.
Of course, I had seen the articles and statuses about the march on my Facebook feed. Friends of mine had mentioned going last year and told me about the exhilaration of ‘joining the movement.’ I had nodded along to the conversation but full disclosure, my mind was wrapped up in my internship and the Netflix show I was binging at the moment.
As January 20th had approached this year, buzz picked up once again in the social media spheres and among my friends, piquing my interest. The fact that this event stood for women’s rights was easy to guess, something that I stand for as well.
But as I began looking into last year’s event and commentary on the upcoming march, I found that there was quite the diversity of opinion to what this march was about. According to this article in The New Yorker, there was a commentary by some about the march being an anti-Trump statement, while others spoke about how it was just pro-women. Others still have called it an event of unity. Trump himself tweeted about how it was a great opportunity to “celebrate historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months” under his presidency. Interesting.
So there was a lot of noise and varying answers, but I still wanted to know: what was the reasoning behind the millions of women who marched in what became the largest single-day protest in U.S. history, as well as the hundreds of thousands of women this year?
I decided to stop checking Twitter and Facebook commentary for my answers and go straight to the source if you will.
The official Women’s March site was not only a forum that provided social media and live-stream feeds but also explained that the first initial march was a worldwide protest that took place on January 21st, 2017 in response to Trump’s inauguration. The movement first sparked after a mother in Hawaii on a Facebook page brought up the idea.
The site also has a Missions page that spoke on the true goal behind both years being to: “harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change… [and] dismantl[e] systems of oppression through nonviolent resistance and building inclusive structures guided by self-determination, dignity and respect.”
Pretty empowering stuff. What really opened my eyes further was that this march is not necessarily ‘anti’ anything, but rather pro-unity. The page included 8 Unity Principles, all of which I have decided to list and pair with images of lovely ladies who decided to weather the miserable Vancouver rain this year with their passion and peaceful demands for change.
The initial idea behind the march is that “women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights.” This was certainly embodied by everyone who gathered in Jack’s Poole (pictured below) and in city centres all over the world to take part!
1. Ending Violence
“Women deserve to live full and healthy lives, free of all forms of violence against our bodies.”
Protestors stood up against gender and racial inequalities within the criminal justice system. Additionally, this topic was extremely close to many women’s heart with the #MeToo movement having had recently opened up discussion and protest against sexual harassment and violence that many women have experienced.
This was an opportunity to say: harassment and violence towards women at work and in everyday life are not okay.
2. Reproductive Rights
This was the stand against male politicians banning women access from healthcare, birth control, accurate sexual education, etc. Essentially, a call for reproductive freedom for women.
3. LGBTQIA Rights
With the idea that women’s rights are human rights, the founders of the march stated that it is their “obligation to uplift, expand and protect the rights of our gay, lesbian, bi, queer, trans or gender non-conforming brothers, sisters and siblings.” This was a stand intentioned to trade previously held exclusions and stereotypes with unity and love for all.
4. Worker’s Rights
“We believe in an economy powered by transparency, accountability, security and equity.”
With the worker’s rights that have already been fought and won for us in the past, it can be easy to take things for granted and stop pushing for further working rights and equality. But this protest reminds us that there is a way to go. The gender pay gap, affordable healthcare, paid familial leave, and healthy work environments are some of the factors that the women marched for.
5. Civil Rights
“We believe 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.”
This is an intersectional movement that stands for minorities among women: those who experience additional inequalities on top of everyday sexism. Many incredible women in Vancouver spoke out against racism, ageism, etc.
6. Disability Rights
“As mothers, sisters, daughters, and contributing members of this great nation, we seek to break barriers to access, inclusion, independence, and the full enjoyment of citizenship at home and around the world.”
The sign in the tweet below really says it all. The future should be accessible for all.
7. Immigrant Rights
“We believe migration is a human right and that no human being is illegal.”
This was the call to see each other as human beings and to build bridges for, rather than aliens to build a wall against.
8. Environmental Justice
“We believe that every person and every community in our nation has the right to clean water, clean air, and access to and enjoyment of public lands.”
This is a planet that we all live on and share- this call was to treat our home a bit better with regards to ourselves and future generations.
After doing this research and catching the end of the March myself this year, I feel that the sign in the picture for the last principle really sums it up. This protest is one that pushes for a more united, accessible, accepting, loving tomorrow. Some of the women who showed upheld signs demanding better healthcare accessibility, while others may have chanted against racism or homophobia. But when it boils down to it, it was one day in a movement that aimed to get all of us aware and thinking about what we can do for a better, equal society.
So if you also missed the past two marches or were previously confused about the objectives of this movement, worry not. Ultimately, the point is to remember that we as citizens can take steps- whether joining a march, signing a petition, or even being kind and supportive to the women around us- to aid in creating a better future for ourselves.