On Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, millions of Americans flooded city streets and painted their towns pink, marching and chanting catchy phrases like, “This is what democracy looks like,” and “My body, my choice.” The Women’s March of 2017 was the largest one-day demonstration in America to date, with over 3.3 million participants marching in over 500 demonstrations across the U.S., according to data compiled by Erica Chenoweth at the University of Denver and Jeremy Pressman at the University of Connecticut.
The protests were organized immediately following the presidential inauguration, making a bold statement of disdain for the new Trump administration by diverse groups who felt attacked by President Trump’s remarks.
Although the Washington March in Washington D.C. was the main organized event, the Los Angeles march had a bigger turnout of more than 750,000 people while D.C. had an estimated 500,000 people.
Among the Los Angeles turnout were handfuls of APU students, including senior international business major Elijah Jerjerian and senior youth ministry major Spencer Whelan. Both had heard about the march from friends, but were uncertain whether their presence would be welcomed among women.
“It wasn’t as hostile as I thought it would be. Before going, people thought it was an environment for only certain people,” Jerjerian said. “But going to march broke down the wall of thinking, ‘I don’t belong here.’ I was surprised at how many men and full families were there; it was cool to see.”
Both Whelan and Jerjerian received positive and negative feedback for their participation in the march based on their gender and Christian faith background. Many of their male friends’ first reaction was shock and confusion at their decision to march. Similarly, many Christians I spoke with were surprised to see other Christians marching alongside Planned Parenthood and pro-choice advocates.
Whelan, who is pro-life, felt that the march was too powerful to be boiled down to one issue.
“It wasn’t enough to keep me away from the march. I’d rather get behind the things we have in common,” Whelan said. “This march was against injustice, so I can fight for the things I do agree with.”
Similarly, Jerjerian felt the weight of reactions from family members for his attendance.
“My mom was disappointed that I went because my family is very conservative,” Jerjerian said. “You’re either this or that. I am pro-life and so I automatically get all these stereotypes added to who I am, but I am also pro-LGBTQ.”
The umbrella of social injustice encompasses many issues, and I think that’s the sole reason the turnout was as vast and impactful as it was. The march brought together those who were fighting for not only women’s reproductive rights, but for LGBTQ rights, climate change awareness, the problem of mass incarceration and immigration rights, which all seemed to fall under the umbrella of anti-Trump protests. This very fact makes it unprecedented for bringing out a diverse group of individuals of different races, genders, ages and religions. It is worth questioning whether or not the march would have reached the number that it did had men decided not to go, assuming it was only for women.
Despite its inclusive efforts, the organizers of the Women’s March received some negative pushback the days following from the transgender community, which claimed they were excluded from the fight for equality and had no place on Saturday. Senior business marketing major Katie Marian was made aware of this on social media after she attended the Los Angeles march.
“I realize it could have been more inclusive. Many signs excluded the trans community with references to ovaries and being a biological woman,” Marian said.
With this movement causing such uproar and complete domination of everyone’s social media feeds, it begs the question: what now?
“I feel like there should be change, but I don’t think it’s that easy as just raising a voice,” Whelan said. “In the form of accomplishing a physical task, no it didn’t.”
Changing a political agenda and the minds of policymakers takes more than just a one-day march. It takes a continued effort to resist and reject the way things are, and to continue bringing diverse groups together for the same cause.
“For the movement to work, men and women need to stand together,” Jerjerian said. “People with different opinions need to stand together. More men need to step up to the plate and defend their sisters in Christ.”
The Women’s March on Saturday may be impossible to top in terms of numbers, but I doubt this is the last noise the participants will make. The organizers of the Los Angeles march have already campaigned for two more marches to come in February. It’s safe to say this is just the start of a long-lasting fight.