Thousands Flock to Streets Nationwide in a Weekend of Women

By Laura King and Nina Agrawal, Los Angeles Times

20 January 18

 

usting off pink knit hats and brandishing colorful signs, marchers gathered Saturday in the shadow of the capital's Lincoln Memorial, in midtown Manhattan and in scores of other venues across the country — not aiming to re-create the record-shattering crowds of the Women's March a year ago this weekend, but vowing to make a mark at the ballot box.

Seeking to send a message of female empowerment and solidarity in the face of a divisive presidency that began a year ago Saturday, activists staged protest marches and voter-registration drives, with the #MeToo movement of recent months serving as a dramatic inflection point.

In Los Angeles, crowds gathered in Pershing Square for a rally before marching to Grand Park in front of City Hall.

The lineup was celebrity-heavy: Among those scheduled to take the stage were Scarlett Johansson, Megan Mullally, Olivia Munn, Olivia Wilde and Alfre Woodard.

Scarlett Cunningham-Young, 11, stood next to eight of her friends and their families, holding a sign with a quote by Malala Yousafzi. It was her second year attending the women's march and she said she felt inspired being around the thousands of other marchers.

"I hope that this country wakes up and realizes that women and girls have voices too," she said.

Sarbjit Singh, representing the group Sikhs of L.A., set up a stand in Grand Park to feed marchers as they arrived.

"We're here for human rights and we're here for women's rights," said Singh as handed out bowls of rice and curry to bystanders. Volunteers also passed out tea and water.

In New York, crowds were backed up for dozens of blocks leading to the rally site on the edge of Central Park. Marchers in sashes with the words #MeToo and #TimesUp were at a standstill on side streets where pink "No Parking" police signs on barricades blocked off sidewalks.

Deborah Seidman, 58, created a design in the shape of a woman's body with the words "MeToo" and a raised fist in the center. Another marcher had a sign that read, "I'm with her," with arrows pointing in every which direction.

Allies also took to social media to show support. "Last year was the reckoning — this year is the battle," tweeted New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

In Washington, groups gathered under crystal-clear skies, with the monuments of the National Mall as an iconic backdrop. Brazilian drummers warmed up the crowd to cheers.

Women return to Washington DC in mass march for women's rights and equality and against sexism, racism, misogyny. pic.twitter.com/RAMEZT6Bjw

— john zangas (@johnzangas) January 20, 2018

Nearly within shouting distance, President Trump was in Washington, having delayed a planned trip to his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, as a government shutdown took hold and lawmakers scrambled to negotiate a compromise.

More than 4,500 people marched through downtown Dallas. Many said they felt the need to demonstrate that Texas, a historically red state, is rapidly diversifying, especially in its largest cities.

"I'm rooting for Texas to become a swing state," said Andres Ramirez, 35, of Fort Worth, who works in a call center and is campaigning for the Democrat who is attempting to unseat local U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions.

Attorney Marita Covarrubias, 54, brought her 17-year-old daughter and friend. "Living here in Texas, you don't see a lot of social activism," said Covarrubias, who grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from UC Berkeley. "Unfortunately, things have not improved over the past year. Women really need to get together to take action on these issues."

In Atlanta, thousands of activists gathered at a squat, brightly painted warehouse in a poor but gentrifying neighborhood southwest of downtown as organizers set up booths on voting, women's healthcare and civil rights.

Rather than march again, organizers of Power to the Polls planned the event to inspire more progressive candidates to run for office, register voters and educate activists on how they can effectively mobilize people to vote.

The point is to go beyond another feel-good moment, said Janel Green, one of the organizers of the Atlanta Women's March last year. "We've already mobilized," she said. "It's time now to translate that momentum into impacting elections. We've got to develop strategies to mobilize and inform voters."

The march was smaller but equally exuberant at the scene of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where hundreds of women turned out in 23-degree weather — and snow — for a lineup that was to include Jane Fonda, Common, Gloria Allred and Lena Waithe.

"I brought my brothers here, they're going to go to the women's march," actor Jared Abrahamson said Friday. "It's not a time for men to tell people things, we should be listening and learning."

All across the country, organizers said electoral politics are increasingly taking precedence over street activism. There are 390 potential women candidates for the U.S. House, almost double the 202 women running at this time in 2016, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

Another 49 women candidates are likely running for the Senate, compared with 21 running this time two years ago. The majority of these women candidates are running as Democrats.

Some organizers said they see the marches as galvanized by concern about a broad range of issues that disproportionately affect women. In New York, Xochitl Oseguera, the campaign director of the advocacy group Moms Rising, cited hot-button topics like immigration, gender-based pay gaps and healthcare.

"Before the Women's March, we just didn't have the support of other women in such an open and loud way," she said. "Now we can share our stories and be heard a lot more than before."

In Los Angeles, where marchers last year choked a wide swath of downtown, clogging trains and freeways, organizers expressed hopes that 2017's overwhelming turnout had paved the way for a strengthening show of long-term political commitment.

"We are hoping that people see the power in yourself and in your vote," said Deena Katz, an Emmy-nominated television producer who was one of the co-organizers of this year's march in downtown Los Angeles. "Whether it's LGBTQ, whether it's religious rights, immigration, everyone needs to make sure their rights are protected."

With the entertainment industry having been a ground zero for the #MeToo reckoning that began in earnest with the toppling of powerful film mogul Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood was well-represented at Saturday's L.A. gathering, with organizers saying actresses Viola Davis, Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde, Alfre Woodard including those who would take the stage.

The downtown Los Angeles march was scheduled to start at 8.30 a.m. at Pershing Square and end in Grand Park. Other Southern California marches were planned in Orange County, Riverside County, Kern County, Bakersfield and Santa Barbara.