On May 8, it will have been six months since the presidential election. Since then there have been countless protests and acts of civil disobedience demanding change and drawing attention to major issues including women’s rights, the rights of the LGBTQ community, and the importance of science as an integral part of modern society. On January 21, 2017, the International Women’s March made history with approximately 2.5 million people participating worldwide. The Women’s March has announced their next action, and they are calling on everyone to take part in it on Monday.
The group is hosting a series of sit-ins at congressional offices nationwide in partnership with the ACLU People Power, United We Dream, Hollaback!, National Lawyers Guild, and The Gathering for Justice.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
According to the Instagram post made by the Women’s March, these sit-ins are for the purpose of sending “a clear message that we will rise up, together, against attacks on our health care, our identities, and our religious freedoms.” The Pledge of Liberation on their website calls out the actions of the Trump administration and leaders of Congress for using “tactics to try and overwhelm us” through the rapid enacting of “harmful and destructive” Executive Orders and legislation. This comes as the final action as a part of the group’s 10 Actions/100 Days campaign that aims to keep the momentum of the Women’s March going by offering ways for people to stay politically engaged.
Their Pledge of Liberation makes a clear call for unity and decries the actions of the administration and Congress by saying, “They mean to divide us into groups with conflicting priorities. We will not let it happen. Our resistance movements are more focused than ever, we know these issues are interrelated.” It continues: “We no longer accept hollow reforms or compromises that help some of our communities but harm others. We will hold demonstrations in solidarity with communities around the country and collectively fight for dignity, justice and freedom.”
There are many ways to get involved regardless of your location. The Women’s March website provides guides and materials covering the basics from defining civil disobedience and picketing to how to organize a demonstration. Below are three ways you can take part.
How you can get involved:
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
1. Sign the petition, if you can't go to a sit-in or there isn't on in your area.
2. Attend a sit-in, here's how you find one.
3. Organize a sit-in for your community.