Do you know about the organization called “Women’s March”? I initially heard of it by that name during the first “No Kings” protest activities last year. For some reason, they held their own anti-Trump protests rather than joining with the main ones that day. They have continued to plan and promote various activities, and their next one is tomorrow, January 20.
The first Women’s March event was held in 2017, the day after Donald Trump’s first inauguration. Most of you probably remember how masses of women protested, wearing pink cat-eared hats. The “pussyhats,” the event’s iconic visual symbol, were worn by hundreds of thousands of women in over 600 cities to represent solidarity against the perceived misogyny of the new POTUS.
Their next major action was on October 2, 2021.
It focused on defending abortion rights in response to new restrictions,
especially Texas’s SB 8 “heartbeat” law, and fears that Roe v. Wade could be
overturned. Thousands rallied in Washington, D.C., marching to the Supreme
Court. On the same day there were also marches across all 50 U.S. states with
focus on abortion rights.
And now, tomorrow, Women’s March is promoting
massive walkouts at 2 p.m. January 20 was chosen as the day for this new
protest activity as it is the end of the first year of Trump’s 2.0 presidency (although
it has been so bad it seems like it has been more than just a year).
Women’s March is calling tomorrow’s action the
Free America Walkout, “because we will walk out of work, school, and commerce
because a Free America begins the moment we stop cooperating
with fascism.”
The vision of Women’s March is clearly stated on their website: “Women’s
March is building a base of feminists to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and
oppression. By 2050, we will be a feminist-led movement that ensures anyone and
everyone has the freedom to lead empowered lives in safety and security in
their bodies, in their communities, and throughout the country.”
The year 2050 sounds far into the future, but
that is only 24 years from now. And their goal includes three complicated
matters:
1) Promoting Feminist Economies – “We seek an economic
system that values the rights and contributions of all, and that supports
safety and dignity for everyone. These feminist values prioritize stewardship
and caregiving, and the
just distribution of collective resources.
“We’re
taking on the Billionaire Boys Club, and fighting for a wealth tax to begin
reversing the grotesque hoarding of wealth … .”
2) Reimagining
Democracy – “We need
a democracy that works for all, in which everyone can participate fully. The
opponents of multi-racial democracy have shown they are willing to use any
means, from partisan gerrymandering and racist voter suppression to
insurrectionary violence to promote minority rule.”
3) Ending White Supremacy – “To build a multi-racial feminist future rooted in values of justice, we must reduce the death grip that white supremacy has on hundreds of millions of people, including many white women. We also know that white supremacist ideology is fueled by patriarchy and misogyny … .”
Strong resistance to the POTUS’s leaning toward fascism is imperative NOW. I am grateful for what Women’s March has planned for tomorrow. Even though there is nothing I can walk out of and I don’t have the energy/stamina to join a protest march, I strongly encourage those of you who can to walk out of your place of employment—or wherever you are—at 2 p.m. tomorrow.
Walk out because the future of our democracy in the U.S. is at stake. Trump’s
words and actions during this first year of his second term have been
incredibly bad in so many ways. Here is a list of just a few of those ways.
* He has lied and/or uttered misleading statements daily.
* He has greatly increased his personal wealth in ways that should
have led to impeachment.
* He has endangered the good standing of the U.S. in international
affairs.
* He has illegally abducted the president of Venezuela and seized some
of that country’s oil.
* He is threatening to destroy NATO by his eagerness to gain control
of Greenland.
Thanks, Women’s March, for all you have planned for tomorrow’s Free
America Walkout!
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Leroy, this blog entry is extraordinary. It told me a lot about the Women's March, to which I will probably contribute. Their vision is marvelous. It very nearly gives me some hope. And you know what a big thing that is for me. LOL I've posted it on my FB page and am going to send it to a number of women I know. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI can't reproduce it here, but I encourage you to go to my Facebook page and see the picture that I asked AI to produce for me, showing Women's March and the defenestration of Trump. (Defenestration means throwing someone out of a window.)
ReplyDeleteActually I saw the post before reading the blog entry. Very funny! And it taught me a new word--defenestration.
DeleteHere are comments received from a highly respected local Thinking Friend:
ReplyDelete"I'm not sure images of violence (or metaphors of fighting) are very helpful, as emotionally satisfying as they might be for a moment, like a sugar high. I'd prefer an image of him behind bars, which suggests an appropriate legal outcome, not physical injury or death. I think images of violence are counter-productive because they can be used by Trump forces against legitimate protests.
"Respectful in disagreement"
Respected friend, you have every right to disagree with what I have written and my use of the image that AI created for me. But I maintain that it is not an image of violence. When I first asked ChatGPT to draw an image for me to use with my blog article, it said it could not make an image promoting violence. I said I was in no way seeking to promote violence--and neither is Women's March. I wanted only a metaphorical image that I could use to illustrate the point I was making in my blog post--and they soon sent the image that you saw. It most certainly doesn't call for literal violence, nor physical injury, and certainly not death.
DeleteFor more about this matter, see what I wrote below in response to my Thinking Friend from southwest Missouri.
Earlier today, one of my Thinking Friends (who lives in southwest Missouri) posted this on Facebook after I posted the AI generated image there:
ReplyDelete"This picture may be illustrative, but not what I would expect from you. Leave the snarky stuff to the rest of us."
Here is the response I made to him:
" I didn't think the image was snarky; rather, I thought it illustrated well what the Women's March is promoting for tomorrow and has been doing for years now. It seems quite clear that Trump's first year has been so bad for so many people and for the nation as a whole. The walkout Women's March is planning for tomorrow is an important nationwide protest. The image is a metaphorical depiction of what they are trying to do--not doing something that will do him physical harm but stirring up protests that perhaps can before the year is over lead to his impeachment and possible removal from office. So rather than being snarky, my post is one seeking to increase support for 'throwing' Trump out of office, not literally out of a window--and that is for the good of the country, especially good for the financially poor, and the discriminated-against people in the nation. That, I think, is a necessary Christian stance."
Bro. Leroy, I just read H. C. Cox's article from last night. I personally am not scared of what my future holds. Living and dying is all about Christ. The rest of the world needs some hope. With a reincarnated Adolph Hitler in the White House, something needs to be done. I am not sure what. How do we get passed a president who has no sense of reality and a Speaker of the House who supports him? Trump is practicing the extreme philosophy in the old saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Many voices are raised against Trump. Many people are marching. No one in Congress or the judicial branch has picked up a proverbial stone that will stop Trump's insanity. The constitution he swore to uphold and the Bible on which he placed his hand mean nothing to Trump.
ReplyDeleteTom, I know you meant to say H.C. Richardson rather than H.C. Cox, because I also read the article you referred to. Otherwise, I agree with what you posted here. And I agree with Paul Krugman, who closed his Substack post this morning with these words: "A petulant, violent and deranged individual is running America."
Delete