Women’s March Spurs Widespread Protest Saturday

“Being there reminded me when people protested for their rights and what they believed in,” Fairfield said. “It feels good to be a part of change in this country.”

By, Cristina Carreon

On the morning following the presidential inauguration, thousands of women, men, children, students, and concerned citizens woke up early to attend the Women’s March held at noon on Saturday.

From Washington D.C. to Austin, protesters gathered Saturday morning for the March. The Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin quickly swelled as marchers arrived with signs hailing Texas cities like Denton and Lubbock.

Attendees took group selfies in the now famous, “pussy hats” and toted signs with concerns about the president, equal rights, climate, and displayed messages of support for women and other disenfranchised groups.

Sister marches occurred in all 50 states and throughout Canada, South America, Europe, Africa, South Asia, Oceania, Japan and even three marches in Antarctica totaling 673 total protests.

Ann Fairfield, a vitamins clerk at a local Austin grocery store, went early to the event with her grandchildren.

“It was so crowded it took over an hour and a half for the crowd just to get off the Capitol grounds and we eventually had to turn back around,” Fairfield said.

Melissa Fiero, Texas Coordinator for the Women’s March on Washington, said the organizers stickered 30,000 before 11 a.m.

The Austin Police Department estimated somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 people attended the march at the Capitol.

Although marchers only walked a mile, it took two hours for the crowds to make it back to the Capitol, Fiero said.

Fairfield said the protests reminded her of the 60s.

“Being there reminded me when people protested for their rights and what they believed in,” Fairfield said. “It feels good to be a part of change in this country.”

The Women’s March on Washington was an attended event intended to send a message to the new presidential administration about the interests of not only women but minorities, LGBTQIA, and immigrants.

The most recent U.S. Census estimates that 50.8 percent of the 326 million Americans living in the United States are women; roughly 166 million are estimated to be adult women.

The number of attendees at the March, based on data compiled by local organizers, police and the Associated Press, amounts to 2.6 million people and counting.

The Women’s March event announced “10 Actions for the first 100 Days” campaign plan Sunday to promote activism. The campaign follows Martin Luther King’s principles of nonviolence during the first 100 days of President Trump’s administration.

The first collective action of the campaign encourages supporters to write their stories and concerns to their state senators and representatives.

In the words of the movement’s mission statement, “The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government…and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.”