I am.
Here’s a link to the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/...
My friend and I had hoped to go to Hillary Clinton’s Inauguration on the 20th. Instead, we and some friends and students are going to DC anyway that weekend, but now we go to gather at the Lincoln Memorial with women, men, and children from all across the country. From there, we march.
We have booked seats on the Rally bus. I recommend it: no driving, no hotel, and bathrooms are provided on the long-haul buses:
rallybus.net/…
You can go to the website and search for a bus departure point near you. This is a professional organization that has provided transportation from around the country to DC rallies for a few years now, so they probably know how to do this. The owners are particularly committed to this march.
WHY MARCH?
Mainly, to make a statement that we do not intend to see progress rolled back—because that is what a Trump administration will attempt to do, no doubts about it. Any Republican administration would. This one, however, as everyone should know by now, comes with some virulently racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and homophobic players—all led by an apparently unhinged strongman/child at the top.
This is a women-led march, but it’s for all progressive people and about all progressive issues.
Many issues, many freedoms are at stake. Pick one close to your heart (see below) and make a sign. March. Meet cool people from around the country who share your concerns. Network. Come home an activist with real stuff to do. This is what it will take for us to fight for progress in a regressive regime.
WILL IT BE COLD? Probably.
My 62 year-old aching arthritic ass (and broken foot) will leave Pittsburgh on 1/21 at 4:30 a.m. on the Rally Bus and return at midnight. I will be cold, head-to-toe sore, tired and happy as all hell because I will have done SOMETHING big enough to express my horror that we are about to suffer four years under the “leadership” of an unfit and regressive administration that is sure to do serious harm to the environment, reproductive rights, civil rights, scientific advances in general, the social safety net, and, oh, lots of stuff. Lots and lots of stuff that we will really miss. Think of something or someone you love and respect. Now think of how that someone or something will likely fare under this administration…. See?
I’m marching—peacefully—to let Trump and his minions know that I don’t appreciate their taking our stuff: our civil rights and human rights, our safety net, anything good and decent about America that is still standing after this fucking apocalyptic election.
I’m a lesbian, so I care deeply about the equality and welfare of my LGBTQ community. But I’m also a teacher, so I’m marching for my African-American students and my International students, many of whom are Muslim or Hindu. I’m marching for my disabled students and my female students.
We all have people and principles we care deeply about and wish to protect in the coming years. We won’t give up all the progress made in the past few years quietly. We are mobilizing even now to get it all back—and then some. After all, there is a ton of unfinished business. And this march on the first full day of Trump’s godforsaken presidency is just the beginning. It will be a massive statement but also it can serve as a galvanizing force behind renewed efforts for more progress, not less. We keep reaching for what is right during the Trump years—with renewed energy and sharper focus.
GOING?
Women's March on Washington - National Page
Rally Bus to Women's March on Washington
And if you are going, this is as important as wearing comfy shoes and layers: LEARN HOW TO PROTEST EFFECTIVELY.
Covering your face and throwing molotov cocktails? Not so effective.
Nonviolent protest is the key. Think of it as performance art. Make your statement as strongly and peacefully as possible. More people will hear you then. Effective protests win over more bystanders than they alienate.
Here’s a good article on this by Jesse Singal:
"How to Organize a Successful Protest"
Taken together, then, all this research points to three general rules for the organizers of the D.C. protests, as well as the other protests that are likely to crop up in the days ahead:
1. Trump can be useful as a galvanizing force, but keep things focused on whatever your particular issue is. That issue will be around long after Trump is gone, and will, in many cases, require forms of activism and advocacy that have little to do with the man himself. The goal should be to give people ways to make progress on the specific issue threatened by Trump, not to protest the man himself endlessly.
2. Make everyone who is interested in your cause, or who exhibits curiosity about it, feel welcome. Other than wanting to help, there should be almost zero prerequisites. If someone doesn't speak the lingo, or doesn't know what intersectionality is, or anything else — it doesn't matter — they can still contribute. And the more you can make activism part of their social life, the more of a meaningful role you can give them, the more likely they will be to stick around and to spread the word. Education on specific ideological issues can always come later.
3. Stay nonviolent. At a time when passions are high there is a real potential for backlash. There are times when disruptive protests can be strategically deployed, but nonviolence is key.
For those who are unhappy that Trump was elected, the easy part — the donations, the Facebook and Twitter posts, the initial broadcasting of outrage and solidarity — is over. Actual resistance, actual organizing, is harder. "I think that the evidence across the political spectrum is that you need to get people involved beyond just their computers and beyond just sending in money to have any impact," said Fisher. And that takes difficult, careful, on-the-ground-work. Luckily, activists aren't starting from square one. Anyone who does their homework will know which tactics are likely to work, and which are more likely to flame out.
Hope to see y’all there.
IN COMMENTS:
I’d love to know if you’re going—or even just thinking about it—what would be on your sign? What issue(s) would you be most interested in working on going forward?
Going or not, here’s hoping that each one of us finds a productive way to kick ass for progress in the coming years. A lot of good people in the present, future, and even the past are counting on us.