“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” -Desmond Tutu
On January 21st, 2017, one short day after a large portion of the world lost a sense of hope with the inauguration, that hope became fully restored as we watched people of all demographics bind together in the name of solidarity. The Women’s March on Washington and around the world became a huge success that will resonate in the minds of many for years to come.
The official website totaled a number of 673 marches and 4,694,500 marchers around the globe. Images and videos of packed cities and deafening chants overtook social media as the insurmountable amount of attendees stood up for the rights of all people — placing emphasis on the lives of marginalized groups.
The mission statement of the Women’s March, as told by that of the creators, is as follows:
“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.”
The mission statement was followed by a list of guidelines, all of which being principles advocating a nonviolent approach to protesting. A goal of which was deemed a success. According to Jezebel, there was not a single official count of a protester being arrested despite crowds at D.C. exceeding 500,000. Thus goes to show peaceful protests can be successful, with this movement being a prime example of such.
This movement became a great sigh of relief and source of immense hope regarding the next four years, proving that we truly are #StrongerTogether. Proving that our voices will not go silent. Proving the importance in fighting for LGBTQ women, Muslim women, immigrant women, Native American women, disabled women, black women, all women. And with fighting for these rights, we ALL become freer– and America becomes a unified whole.
An archive of photos taken from the event can be found on the official website, here.
