The Women’s marches held on Saturday, January 20, are estimated to have accumulated an attendance of 4.2 million people in demonstrations held throughout 600 U.S. cities. Meanwhile, 200 international Women’s Marches were estimated to have seen over 300,000 people.
The events ranged from small get-togethers and gatherings in tiny town squares to waves of people clogging the streets of Washington, and L.A..
One of the themes within the larger cities was found to be the demand for President Donald Trump and his removal from office, or to single him out. But the events also included the motivation of social causes including the #MeToo movement, the Time’s Up initiative, Black Lives Matter, and abortion rights. But at the centre stage of the Seattle Women’s March was the plight of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW).
As tens of thousands of supporters filled the march from Pine Street on Capitol Hill to the Seattle Center, the march was delayed in the beginning and near Pacific Place to ensure that indigenous women would take the lead.
Clad in red and decorated in regalia with traditional items in hand, a crowd of native women led the march to bring awareness to MMIW — which has been a vastly overlooked subject until the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission and its Call to Action. Feanette Black Bear lead the two-mile stretch at the front line.
“I came here in solidarity with all of the indigenous missing and murdered women here on Turtle Island,” said Black Bear in an interview with Crosscut. “It’s been going on for over 500 years now, and we need to put a stop to it — somewhere, somehow.”
As last year’s march was estimated to have had 120,000 supporters, Black Bear hoped to let the “public be aware” through their plight in the march.
But many marches were met with pro-Trump protesters causing tensions to rise, while even pro-Trump supporters publicly questioned the motives of the marches. On Tuesday morning on the latest edition of “Fox and Friends”, Trump TV host and daughter-in-law Lara Trump explained that she was “disappointed” that the Women’s Marches weren’t solely about women.
“It was more of a hateful, anti-Trump protest, which I think is really sad because this president has done so much for women,” said Trump. “These women out there are so anti-Trump, and I don’t even think they know why. They just think that’s the thing to do.”
With the opening of all of the initiatives for the empowerment of women during the marches and the knowledge of President Trump’s behaviour and thoughts towards women, it is impossible to think that the Women’s March supporters don’t know why they are anti-Trump.
