Is the Women’s March Still Relevant?

On January 20st, exactly a year since Donald Trump assumed the office of president, anti-Trump demonstrators took to the streets to protest the policies and attitudes shown by the Trump White House over the course of the past year. With signs and chants, they proudly marched across the United States of America. These protesters most likely left the demonstration satisfied that they were not alone in their discontent with the current state of the issue of women’s rights. However, was this satisfaction short-lived? Is it warranted?

The Women’s March of 2017 was the largest demonstration in American history. 700,000 people marched in Washington, D.C. alone. It was impossible to go through the day without seeing a picture of a classmate or friend with his or her sign on Instagram or seeing an article about the magnitude of such an event posted on a website. Even so, Trump has maintained his position as the President of the United States.

Despite ensuring that every girl would feel both empowered and free to achieve their dreams under his administration, Trump has gone out of his way to make life even more difficult for American women. Ever since he assumed office, he has made it harder for women to get birth control, has halted efforts to fix the pay gap, and has disbanded the White House Council on Women and Girls. In the end, Donald Trump has not made America great again for half of the country.

This year, the Women’s March established a theme: Power to the Polls. As 2018 is a noteworthy election year, the organizers found it imperative that they focus not only on the injustices that all women, especially women of color and women of the LGBT community, face, but also on the hope of the present situation. The current administration has shown no mercy while eliminating opportunities for women across the country. The people hold the power in a democracy like ours and with their vote, they themselves have the ability to make America safe for women.

With that in mind, it is easy to see the intended effects of this year’s Women’s March. Last year’s protest was formed to comfort women in a time of uncertainty, this year’s march is an effort to empower women in a time of fear. This demonstration is to encourage citizens to rise up against those who have remained indifferent to their struggles. To not remain silent, to reclaim their time, and to stand up for all that do not have a voice.

We will see later this year if these rallying cries have been heard and received by the country. That being said, it is hard to ignore the emotional and cultural impact such a movement has had on modern United States of America. As a female student in this country, I am filled with pride and courage to see my friends, teachers, and total strangers standing up for me. That is where I believe the power in this movement is: how every girl can identify with the struggles and obstacles presented to every female in the United States. In my eyes, women are winning. So, in a word: yes, the Women’s March is still relevant. I look forward to seeing women and men proclaiming the power and courage of every single girl not only in the United States, but also around the world next January.


Evie Cullen
arts and culture editor

Graphics: Evie Cullen

3 thoughts on “Is the Women’s March Still Relevant?

  1. Trump has appointed more women to senior roles than any other modern president. Include Bush and Obama.

    His list of female appointees is long: Nikki Haley, Ambassador to the United Nations (not only a woman but also child of Indian American Sikh immigrants); Elaine Chao, Secretary of Transportation; Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; Dr. Heather Wilson, Secretary of the Air Force; Sarah Sanders, White House Press Secretary; Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President; Linda McMahon, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration; Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education; Jovita Carranza, U.S. Treasurer (also a minority and first-generation Mexican American immigrant); Neomi Rao, Regulation Czar (also a minority and daughter of parents from India); Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (also a minority); Heather Brand, Associate Attorney General; Kelly Sadler, Director of Surrogate & Coalitions Outreach; Mercedes Schlapp, Senior Communications Advisor (also a minority whose father was once a political prisoner of Fidel Castro); Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President; Hope Hicks, Communications Director; Jessica Ditto, Deputy Director of Communications; and Dina Powell, Deputy National Security Adviser who according to White House sources will remain in her position through the end of January and will likely be replaced by another woman after Powell completes her first year in office.

    In addition to the career professionals in the White House, there is the somewhat reluctant First Lady Melania Trump, who arguably has stepped up to the plate bigtime in times of crisis such as Hurricane Harvey (in five-inch stiletto heels, no less.)

    With their first year in office under their belts, most of the women listed above will convene tomorrow for a “Conversation with the Women of America” to discuss economics, health care, national security and how in their respective roles they intend to continue helping “Make America Great Again” during the second year of the Trump administration.

    Just so you know.

    1. Congrats, you can list names. However, citing a select few as examples of an entire country of individuals is less powerful than it seems. What does it matter if he’s appointed a bunch of women, those women aren’t using their power to stick up for their own rights, choosing to appease their boss in order to keep their job. It’s like saying “Gambling is great! Look at these 10 people who won millions!” but ignoring the numerous people crippled by a gambling addiction. Sure, it’s a little extreme, but when you think about it, not that conceptually different.

      1. I mean its a pretty simple concept to grasp actually. If Trump was a sexist and didn’t think that women were as capable as men then why would he appoint the most women to senior cabinet positions than any other US president? Those Women don’t need to use their power to “stick up for their own rights” because they are hard working, level headed and rational thinking adults who realize that the war on women has been over for the past 60 years, and they don’t need to rely on a victim complex to get ahead in life.

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