Tag: Peoples

Thousands of people from around the United States rallied in the nation’s capital Saturday for women’s reproductive rights and other causes they believe are under threat from the incoming Trump administration, reprising the original Women’s March days before President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration.Eight years after the first historic Women’s March at the start of Trump’s first term, marchers said they were caught off guard by Trump’s victory and are determined now to show that support remains strong for women’s access to abortion, for transgender people, for combating climate change and other issues.The march is just one of several protests, rallies and vigils focused on abortion rights, immigration rights and the Israel-Hamas war planned in advance of the inauguration Monday. Around the country, over 350 similar marches are taking place in every state.Jill Parrish of Austin, Texas, said she initially bought a plane ticket to Washington for what she expected to be Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ inauguration. She wound up changing the dates to march in protest ahead of Trump’s swearing-in instead, saying the world should know that half of U.S. voters didn’t support Trump.“Most importantly, I’m here to demonstrate my fear about the state of our democracy,” Parrish said.Demonstrators staged in squares around Washington ahead of the march, pounding drums and yelling chants under a slate-gray sky and in a chilly wind. Protesters then marched to the Lincoln Memorial for a larger rally and fair, where organizations at the local, state and national level will host information tables.They held signs with slogans, including “Save America,” “Against abortions? Then don’t have one” and “Hate won’t win.”There were brief moments of tension between protesters and Trump supporters. The march paused briefly when a man in a red “Make America Great Again” hat and a green camo backpack walked into a line of demonstrators at the front. Police intervened and separated him from the group peacefully as marchers chanted, “We won’t take the bait.”As the protesters approached the Washington Monument, a small group of men in MAGA hats walking in the opposite direction appeared to draw the attention of a protest leader with a megaphone. The leader veered closer to the group and began chanting “No Trump, no KKK” through the megaphone. The groups were separated by high black fencing, and police officers eventually gathered around.Rick Glatz, of Manchester, New Hampshire, said he came to Washington for the sake of his four granddaughters: “I’m a grandpa. And that’s why I’m marching.”Minnesota high school teacher Anna Bergman wore her original, cat-eared, pink hat from her time in the 2017 Women’s March, a moment that captured the shock and anger of progressives and moderates at Trump’s first win.With Trump coming back now, “I just wanted to be surrounded by like-minded people on a day like today,” Bergman said.Rebranded and reorganized, the rally has a new name — the People’s March — as a means to broaden support, especially during a reflective moment for progressive organizing after Trump’s decisive win in November. The Republican takes the oath of office Monday.Women outraged over Trump’s 2016 presidential win flocked to Washington in 2017 and organized large rallies in cities throughout the country, building the base of a grassroots movement that became known as the Women’s March. The Washington rally alone attracted over 500,000 marchers, and millions more participated in local marches around the country, marking one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history.This year, the crowd was far fewer than the expected 50,000 participants, already just one-tenth the size of the first march. The demonstration comes amid a restrained moment of reflection as many progressive voters navigate feelings of exhaustion, disappointment and despair after Harris’ loss.“Before we do anything about democracy, we have to fight our own despair,” said one of the event’s first speakers, Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of Women’s March.The comparative quiet contrasts sharply with the white-knuckled fury of the inaugural rally as massive crowds shouted demands over megaphones and marched in pink, cat-eared hats in response to Trump’s first election win. “The reality is that it’s just hard to capture lightning in a bottle,” said Tamika Middleton, managing director at the Women’s March. “It was a really particular moment. In 2017, we had not seen a Trump presidency and the kind of vitriol that that represented.”The movement fractured after that hugely successful day of protests over accusations that it was not diverse enough. This year’s rebrand as a People’s March is the result of an overhaul intended to broaden the group’s appeal. Saturday’s demonstration promoted themes related to feminism, racial justice, anti-militarization and other issues, and ended with discussions hosted by various social justice organizations.The People’s March is unusual in the “vast array of issues brought together under one umbrella,” said Jo Reger, a sociology professor who researches social movements at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Women’s suffrage marches, for example, were focused on a specific goal of voting rights.For a broad-based social justice movement such as the march, conflicting visions are impossible to avoid and there is “immense pressure” for organizers to meet everyone’s needs, Reger said. But she also said some discord isn’t necessarily a bad thing.“Often what it does is bring change and bring in new perspectives, especially of underrepresented voices,” Reger said.Middleton, of the Women’s March, said a massive demonstration like the one in 2017 was not the goal of Saturday’s event. Instead, it’s goal was focusing attention on a broader set of issues — women’s and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, climate, and democracy — rather than centering it more narrowly around Trump.“We’re not thinking about the march as the endgame,” Middleton said. “How do we get those folks who show up into organizations and into their political homes so they can keep fighting in their communities long term?”___Associated Press writers Gary Fields, Ellen Knickmeyer and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.

On January 20, 2021, thousands of people gathered in Washington, DC to protest the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The People’s March, organized by grassroots activists, brought together individuals from all walks of life to speak out against the policies and rhetoric of the new administration.

Protesters held signs decrying Trump’s attacks on marginalized communities, his denial of climate change, and his disregard for democratic norms. Chants of “No justice, no peace!” and “This is what democracy looks like!” echoed through the streets as the crowd made their way to the Capitol.

The People’s March was a powerful display of resistance and solidarity, showing that the American people are ready to fight for a more just and inclusive society. As the new administration takes office, it is clear that the voices of the people will not be silenced.

The People’s March in DC was just the beginning of what promises to be a long and sustained movement to hold the Trump administration accountable and push for progressive change. Let this be a reminder that the power of the people is stronger than any one individual or political party. #PeoplePower #ResistTrump

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