It’s been two years since women across the nation donned their “pussyhats” and marched across the streets of America protesting against the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The 2017 Women’s March became the largest single-day protest in United States history.
There’s been two protests of the same nature since that day, one happening over this weekend. While thousands showed up, there was plenty of marches cancelled amid controversy.
Although the Women’s March has never officially been linked to one organization, Women’s March Inc. is the most recognizable force behind the Women’s March, as it pioneered the famous 2017 march. The four women at the forefront are Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour, Carmen Perez, and Bob Bland.
In March 2018, Mallory attended a Nation of Islam event with Louis Farrakhan, a black nationalist who’s made homophobic and anti-Semitic statements in the past. Statements that were outlined by The View host Megan McCain during Mallory’s and Bland’s appearance on January 14, 2019.
“I am not anti-Semite, I am an anti-termite. It is the wicked Jews, the false Jews promoting lesbianism, homosexuality,” McCain read.
And, while it’s apparent that Mallory and Bland never endorsed these statements, Mallory didn’t condemn them. If you’d like to watch the entire video, I’ve linked it below.
This recent controversy is one of many that’s surrounded the march. The first march was slammed with criticism that its feminism isn’t as intersectional as it claims.
On the official Women’s March website, the organization details their issues as the following: “ending violence against women and femmes,” “ending state violence,” “reproductive rights and justice,” “racial justice,” “LGBTQIA+ rights,” “immigrant rights,” “economic justice and workers rights,” and “civil rights and liberties.”
Despite all of these groups being represented, the original march was associated with liberal white women protesting Donald Trump. Many women of color thought that the march was too late or slightly contradictory.
It took a president to be verbally sexist, homophobic, and racist for white women to finally listen to the cries of their fellow women in minority groups and protest along with them.
Being a self-proclaimed feminist, I’ve always wanted to attend a march, especially after hearing of my friends and peers who’ve attended them. Hearing about these various controversies is disheartening, as it seems even the most wholesome things in inception can become clouded.
The most wonderful thing about the march is what it can mean to so many different people. Two OVS student went, sophomores Bella Slosberg and Kiana Carlisle, and their experiences and reasons were different, despite going to marches in Ventura and LA.
“The Women’s March means so much… it gives people of all race, gender, and sexuality a chance to show what [they] stand for,” Kiana said. “And not only that but also a chance to show specifically what my generation can do and what we stand for when I go with all my friends. The Women’s March gives me hope that the people can change the world. I feel the most empowered when I’m marching… [it] made me feel like I was fighting for women, all around the world, who didn’t have the privilege to be there.”
To me, this march isn’t about one organization or one chapter, but about women, as a whole, finally supporting one another. I support the idea, but it’s becoming increasingly hard to find unity in a world of so much division. For me, I would find it hard to march with a chapter expressly sanctioned by Women’s March Inc., but I’d love to join a locally-sourced march in the future.
In an article by Vox , Anna North says that the Women’s March has “become a referendum on whether it’s even possible to unite a group as diverse as women in America in a single movement.”
In my opinion, the Women’s March is too broad to unite all women, which is okay. I love the idea, as do millions of others, but I think this year’s march is an important revelation about unity among too many groups.
Obviously, the Women’s March is about trying to navigate the current political climate to rally for real change, but in a culture where there’s no strikes, no chance to say the wrong thing, it’s simply impossible.
But, here’s what’s most important. Every step is an important step to equality. Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Rosa Parks stepped out when it wasn’t comfortable. They all stepped out when it was controversial. Even when their reputations and lives were shrouded with controversy, they still marched on, bringing undisputed change. So, while the Women’s March isn’t perfect, it’s still an important step to a world we want to live in.