The Loudest Message from the Women's March
January 21st, 2017 may become the defining moment of fourth-wave feminism. Inspired by the Women’s March on Washington, protesters stormed the streets of cities around the word with cleverly decorated signs, pink pussyhats, and a message heard by millions. Attendance at many of the demonstrations surpassed expectations of city officials. USA Today reported that 1 million protestors attended Women’s Marches in the United States alone.
The distinguishing feature of fourth-wave feminism is intersectionality, a school of thought that considers the complicated (and often nuanced) relationship between different systems of privilege and oppression, such as race, religion, class, and sexuality. The official mission of the Women’s March on Washington encapsulates this mindset:
The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us - immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault - and our communities are hurting and scared. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear.
In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.
We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society. We work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all.
HEAR OUR VOICE.
Although the group does not officially target Donald Trump, his 2016 campaign certainly had many demonstrations of bigotry towards women, muslims, immigrants, people of color, and other historically marginalized populations. Many of The Women’s March on Washington’s official media channels also display a not-so-subtle nod to Hillary Clinton. The quote “Women’s rights are human rights” appear on many of the protest’s pages. This popular feminist slogan was originally coined by Hillary Clinton in 1995 at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women.
While the heart of the protest’s mission has been to “show our presence in numbers too great to ignore,” President Donald Trump has yet to issue a statement or acknowledgment to the activists in his own backyard. As of 8:30 PM on January 21st, his Facebook page, verified Twitter account, and Instagram all continue to ignore the screams of women across the nation and around the globe. Throughout his campaign--and even during his time as President Elect--Trump was infamous for his impulsive social media posts, late-night tweet storms, and online bullying. Both the White House’s Twitter account and online Briefing Room also remain silent on the protests.
Even hours after marches around the world have begun to dwindle in number, chants continue to ring loud and clear throughout Washington. Although these protests have displayed unprecedented, global advocacy for women’s rights, the “ruler of the free world” has yet to make a statement. His silence is deafening and his slowness to respond discouraging. In the absence of a history of public service, Donald Trump’s political record begins today. So far, he has done nothing but prove to the American people that in the eyes of his administration, the rights of historically marginalized groups are not a priority.
