Why We Marched: Women’s Marches Nationwide

Millions of women joined forces this past Saturday, January 21st, to protest against one common enemy: the desire to ignore their rights. From Philadelphia to Los Angeles, Florida to Maine, women, as well as supportive men and the trans community, flocked together to show a clear opposition against the incoming Trump administration, and the clear objective to support Planned Parenthood, as well as other pro-female organizations.

In D.C. alone, it was believed that there were enough protesters to become the largest demonstration against an inauguration in history. Beyond the United States, women in cities such as London, Cape Town, and South Africa, as well as Helsinki and Athens, rallied to support American women’s rights, and their own. Celebrities such as Amy Poehler, as well as Ashley Judd, America Ferrera and Kerry Washington, all spoke out about their apprehension towards Trump, and their support for women, immigrants, and people facing both racial and gender biases.

In a pointed speech to now-President Trump, actress Scarlett Johansson said, “I did not vote for you. That said, I respect that you are our President-Elect and I want to be able to support you. But first I ask that you support me, support my sister, support my mother, support my best friend and all of our girlfriends,” she continued. “Support the men and women here today who are anxiously awaiting to see how your next moves may drastically affect their lives.”

Rowan Blanchard, of Disney’s Girl Meets World, said, “My generation, which I am so honored to be representing right now, knows exactly what is going on, despite what many adults tell us. We know what’s happening because it’s happening to us too. We are so engaged in this conversation around intersectionality and what freedom actually means that we are willing to risk our lives for it.”

“We can whimper. We can whine. Or we can fight back!” said Senator Elizabeth Warren at a rally in Boston. “We come here to stand shoulder to shoulder to make clear: We are here! We will not be silent!”

But average American spoke out as well, not just high-profile Democrats and members of the television and film industry.

“There’s been a men-only march through the White House for over 200 years,” pointed out Twitter user Wendy Molyneux, in support of the rallies.

“#WhyIMarch”, said another Twitter user, Laurie Brookins, “Because I cannot stand the thought of four years of an administration that will NEVER tell us the truth.”

While the reasons for protesting varied from city to city, and from protester to protester, many marched in opposition to the President Trump’s neglect of women’s rights, and his support of a bill that would limit women’s access to getting birth control, abortions, as well as other reproductive and health care.

Trump himself, who claimed to be in support of the protesters, or at least their right to protest, couldn’t help but add fuel to the fire, tweeting: “Why didn’t these people vote?”