Contributed from New South Wales
Huge numbers of women took part in street marches over the weekend and this signaled a new rise in the movement for equality. Wearing pink (Pussy) hats, they took to the streets, to show they were prepared to fight against that threaten to set back advances women have achieved over recent times. Estimates of the number have ranged to the hundreds of thousands claimed by the establishment, to the millions insisted by others.
Video from ABC News (US)
Most important is that the number of Americans who are angry about what is going on cannot be ignored.
Women took to the streets in many American cities and more than 600 locations. Support rallies took place across Europe, South America Asia and Africa and in Australia as well.
Gender equality is in the centre stage, because the Trump administration is moving to increaser inequality. This also relates to Trumps own public performance and released tapes about his ugly attitude towards women. There is no doubt that the recent campaign outing sexual predators (#Me Too) in the workplace and has netted some high profile identities, has helped to put women’s rights at the political centre.
An important driver was the overall reaction against the Trump political direction that is hurting working Americans, the marginalised and poor. This is fanning race hate and is intended to divide ordinary Americans and favour the wealthiest Americans at the top. These issues were raised over the weekend and were integral to the women’s marches., but instead to
Also important is that this year the marches were not called to protest, but to be an expression of what it is hoped to be achieved, and that is to raise the voice of those who are at the wrong end of the Trump agenda. Rather than calling on political leaders to turn away from what they are doing, the emphasis is now on what those who want to bring about change are going to do.
Attention has been put on the mid-term elections for the House of Representatives coming up this year, where there is a gearing up for a host of woman candidates to stand. A formidable number of celebrities attended the marches. Some of them were speakers.
The electoral strategy is not all. The key is motivating ongoing activism and organising at the grass roots.
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