On January 21, 2017, less than 24 hours after President Trump’s inauguration, millions of women from around the country gathered in the streets of Washington D.C. to stand up for women’s rights in the face of a new administration that has expressed plans to reduce federal spending for programs, such as Planned Parenthood, that would cut back basic rights and aid for women.
The march, which was organized by the Women’s March on Washington group, had originally anticipated about 400,000 people to show up. Ironically, while only 250,000 had attended Trump’s inauguration the day before, over double that amount flooded the streets of D.C. to take part in the demonstration. Hundreds of other protests took place the same day in major cities around the world, including LA, New York City, Amsterdam, London, and even Tokyo. With an estimated 500,000 protestors who attended the march in D.C., this event marks the largest political demonstration to hit the nation since Martin Luther King Jr.’s March for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.
Among the protestors were some of our own Deacs, including senior political science major, Megan Dougherty, who made the trek to D.C. to show her support for human rights. Megan, a D.C. native and passionate activist, witnessed a mix of emotions from the crowd this past Saturday.
Megan noted, “While the march was decidedly about women, we witnessed the outpouring of love and protest from every different nationality, gender, and age group. At times on Saturday the word ‘march’ did not seem appropriate for what I was experiencing; it was truly a movement. I have lived in Washington, D.C. my entire life, and there was something extraordinary about seeing the streets I drive down filled arm to arm with protesters chanting, singing, and dancing: shutting down traffic in every corner of the city.”
(Photo above) Megan Dougherty stands outside of the Capitol Building holding up one of the Women’s March’s organization poster. Photo via Megan Dougherty
Sophomore Ali Friedman, a politics major at Georgetown University and D.C. area native, was another one of the thousands of young activists who turned up to show their support.
When asked about her experience during the march, Ali responded, “There was an overwhelming sense of pride and unity. Despite the recent turmoil, it was incredible to see so many people of all walks of life joining together for such an important cause. Everyone appeared to feed off of each other’s positive energy, which made the message even stronger.”
(Photo above) Protestors outside the national mall. Photo via Ali Friedman.
She also mentioned that, “This was the first election that a lot of students had the privilege of voting in, so I think that sense of direct involvement helped students realize how much the new administration could affect us personally, as well as all those around us.”
Even after the unexpected success of the movement, Trump and his administration have remained rather quiet about the subject and have not yet indicated any response to the demands of the protestors. However, “The women’s march on Washington, and subsequently across the world, sent a pretty powerful message to the current administration,” said Megan. “I cannot say how the Trump administration will react but I am sure this will trigger anxieties.”