‘People’s March’ seeks to broaden opposition as Trump prepares to take power

18 January 2025, 22:54

US Inauguration Protests
US Inauguration Protests. Picture: PA

The movement is expanding from the ‘Women’s March’ that marked Donald Trump’s first term in 2016.

Eight years since its historic first march, the Women’s March is returning on Saturday to the nation’s capital just before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Rebranded and reorganised, the rally has a new name, the People’s March, as a means to broaden support, especially during a reflective moment for progressive organising after Mr Trump’s decisive win in November.

The Republican takes the oath of office on Monday.

Women outraged over Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential win flocked to Washington in 2017 and organised large rallies in cities throughout the country, building the base of a grassroots movement that became known as the Women’s March.

The Washington rally alone attracted over 500,000 marchers, and millions more participated in local marches around the country, marking one of the largest single-day demonstrations in US history.

This year, the march is expected to be about one 10th the size of the first one and comes amid a restrained moment of reflection as many progressive voters navigate feelings of exhaustion, disappointment and despair after Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss.

Inauguration
Flags hang in place on the West Front of the US Capitol (Jon Elswick/AP)

The comparative quiet contrasts sharply with the white-knuckled fury of the inaugural rally as massive crowds shouted demands over megaphones and marched in pink pussyhats in response to Mr Trump’s first election win.

“The reality is that it’s just hard to capture lightning in a bottle,” said Tamika Middleton, managing director at the Women’s March.

“It was a really particular moment.

“In 2017, we had not seen a Trump presidency and the kind of vitriol that that represented.”

The movement fractured after that hugely successful day of protests over accusations that it was not diverse enough.

This year’s rebrand as a People’s March is the result of an overhaul intended to broaden the group’s appeal.

Saturday’s demonstration will promote themes related to feminism, racial justice, anti-militarisation and other issues and will end with discussions hosted by various social justice organisations.

US Inauguration Protests
Ann Kourelis, left, and Candee Minchin, right, work on a protest sign (Chuck Burton/AP)

The People’s March is unusual in the “vast array of issues brought together under one umbrella,” said Jo Reger, a sociology professor who researches social movements at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

Women’s suffrage marches, for example, were focused on a specific goal of voting rights.

For a broad-based social justice movement such as the march, conflicting visions are impossible to avoid and there is “immense pressure” for organizers to meet everyone’s needs, Ms Reger said. But she also said some discord isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Often what it does is bring change and bring in new perspectives, especially of underrepresented voices,” Ms Reger said.

Ms Middleton, of the Women’s March, said a massive demonstration like the one in 2017 is not the goal of Saturday’s event.

Instead, it’s to focus attention on a broader set of issues, women’s and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, climate and democracy, rather than centring it more narrowly around Mr Trump.

“We’re not thinking about the march as the endgame,” Ms Middleton said.

“How do we get those folks who show up into organisations and into their political homes so they can keep fighting in their communities long term?”

By Press Association

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