In an effort to capitalize on the momentum of the wildly successful Women’s March that took place the day after the inauguration of President Trump, its organizers have announced their next big plan on social media: a general strike.
The Women’s March, which took place in nearly 550 cities throughout the country and about 100 cities worldwide, is perceived to be the largest protest in United States history. And while the organizers of the movement are very proud of the immense support and success of the march, they are not done fighting yet. And women around the country are not done fighting for what they know is right.
Courtesy: The Atlantic
On Feb. 6, 2017, the Women’s March tweeted that they were planning a general strike to occur on a date to be disclosed in the future. While many women responded positively to this call to action, some cited concerns regarding their lack of ability to get involved with the strike. There are many women who would benefit from this movement that cannot afford to take a day off to strike in support of their own rights. Regrettably, this strike has been seen by some as an act of privilege, stating that the women who need this movement the most are the ones least able to participate in the activities proposed by the organizers.
According to CNN, this is one of the most highly publicized calls to strike seen in response to the Trump presidency. While there have been several other proposed strikes, the one proposed after the Women’s March has garnered the most attention due to the success of the march.
However, women around the country are finding other ways to continue the momentum that the Women’s March started. In an article posted by Refinery29, Stephanie Schriock expresses the implicit importance of women getting more involved in politics. Schriock in the president of Emily’s List, a political action committee that supports Democratic women running for office. The day after the Women’s March, her organization hosted a training in Washington D.C. geared toward women seeking to be elected to office. The conference was attended by over 500 women. In addition to this, Schriock’s organization has heard from more than 4,000 women who are ready to run for office.
Schriock’s organization has launched a program called “Run to Win,” which doesn’t just call women to run for office but to also supports women who are running for office. She insists that you do not need years of experience to get involved, just a willing voice and a burning passion to use it. Judging from the success of her conference and the recent rise in popularity of her PAC, women are capitalizing on that passion are preparing to get involved in the political sphere at unprecedented levels.
At AOL’s 2017 MAKERS conference in California, a pre-recorded video of Hillary Clinton proudly declared that she continues to believe that the “Future is Female.” The organizers of the Women’s March and those involved in Emily’s List prove that women are ready to make that dream a reality. This also shows us that women are capable of more than just marching. Women are willing to strike and they are willing to run to make a difference.