Women’s March on Washington: Gathering in support of women, other minorities after Trump inauguration

A protester at the Women’s March on Washington holds a sign that calls for unity.

Maddison Brindle | Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Jan. 21, hundreds of thousands of women from all over the United States and the world gathered in Washington, D.C. for the post-inaugural Women’s March on Washington.

According to the march’s official website, the mission statement was, “We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families – recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.”

Although some sources describe the rally and march as being “anti-Trump,” the official mission statement and vision released on the website stated that the march was intended solely for the recognition of women’s rights. However, numerous participants in the Washington march and in connected marches across the world came equipped with signs that read, “Love trumps hate,” and similar slogans that have been used in previous months to denote disapproval for Donald Trump’s various statements.

The site also outlined multiple “Unity Principles” describing how these women would stand together as a collective to fight for the rights of all humans, including immigrants, workers, LGBTQ+ identifying persons, those with disabilities and more.

When interviewed by The Seahawk during the march, Susan Marshall of State College, Pa. and Ashley Simmons of Charlotte, N.C. remarked on why they chose to participate in the march.

“To bring awareness to inequalities,” Marshall said. “To voice my promise to work hard for a better future for all.”

“Because if we don’t let this administration know that we won’t let them act unquestioned,” Simmons added, “who knows what horrors they will unleash?”

The march was initially expected to gain crowds of around 200,000 people, according to Newsweek, but the crowd soon surpassed that number. Some sources say at its peak the crowd was anywhere from 600,000 to 800,000 people. This makes it one of the largest marches in United States history, with numbers in connected marches reaching about three million worldwide.

However, many complained of what seemed to be poor organization in the hours preceding the march, which was to begin at 1 p.m.

The subway system beginning early in the morning was packed so full that people were standing in every available space, and many stops required passengers to ask that nobody else try to squeeze in. The traffic caused numerous delays, and some marchers were not able to attend as planned. 

Around 3 p.m., rumors of the march being “cancelled” began spreading. This caused some of the masses to leave the National Mall. Despite this confusion, however, side streets began filling into the large crowd that was slowly making its way down Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues towards the White House — completely abandoning the original route that could not hold the growing number of participants.

Although the march was planned to only last until 5 p.m., marchers filled the streets for hours past.

“Listen – you work for us,” Marshall said when asked what she could wanted to say to President Donald J. Trump.

Simmons merely remarked that he should “step down.”

To these women, this march represented the “feelings of the marginalized,” and what they believed were the voices of women and men who won the popular vote, but did not see their candidate take office.

According to Simmons, this march also represented the fundamental right to protest, which she believed to be an important catalyst for change in this country.

“[This march] means the future of my children,” Marshall said. “It means moving forward toward a truly equitable United States rather than going back in time.”

Simmons noted that she believed Trump has shown no ability to heed the voices of women telling him “no,” but women around the country still need to make sure he hears them.

When asked what message they wanted others to receive from this march, Marshall said, “Inequalities exist and we will not stay quiet or content any longer.”

Simmons voiced her hope that the masses will understand from this march that people will look for a way to quiet others, and that allowing them “to win” is not an option.