Over 5 million people worldwide came together in solidarity on January 21, 2017, to march, speak, and make their voices heard in protest of the Trump Administration that was inaugurated the day before.
Many people from Malden joined the march in Boston. The City Committee organized a group of about 20 residents who took the train downtown from Malden Center on Saturday morning. The Malden-based American Association of Arab Women also had strong opinions at the march. Some residents gathered for pictures around a sign that said, “Malden,” and one resident held a sign reading, “Malden Embraces Diversity.”
What started the women’s march movement was to protest against human rights, women’s rights, immigration policies, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, and freedom of religion. The march was an event with the purpose of standing in solidarity with the groups of people that Trump has offended all throughout his presidential campaign and even now. This march drew an estimation of 500,000 to the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. alone. At least 408 marches were planned in the US, and around 670 marches took place worldwide.
This march gained support from many different parts around the world. No arrests were made in these marches. The women’s march movement took place on every continent, even in Antarctica. According to the www.womensmarch.com, their mission is for those who participate in the marches “will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society. [They] work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all.” The goal of the protest is to send a bold message to the new government on its first day. Those that organized the march stated on the site that it “is not [the] differences that divide [the country]. It is [the] inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”
Although many people questioned the social impact the march would have, speakers at various marches encouraged their audience and the world to look at the march as the beginning of a resistance and not the end of one. At the heart of what began the movement, the women’s march in Washington, D.C, filmmaker Michael Moore urged the women to take action both locally and on a larger scale. While it’s important to engage in open conversation, especially with people with whom you may not agree with, it’s also important to be heard by those who have the power to create political change. He urged viewers to call their representatives and senators everyday on behalf of the beliefs they hold. Michael Moore also mentioned how a way to take action is by calling Congress and senators.
As long as there are still those that feel strongly about their opposition of the positions and stances the Trump administration have taken, the march will continue to influence the movement.
