Women marching, not a Women's March (Aaron Wang)

The first several weeks of the WAIP has been an eventful period. With the inauguration of a new president and the controversy surrounding his decisions Washington, DC has been very active filled with supporters and protestors alike. As a political enthusiast, I found the influence of partisan issues everywhere in Washington. The most profound moments of thought occurred during occasions such as the Women’s March. To clarify the Women's march didn't just included the female gender but also their male and other allies. The Women’s March represented to me a change in activism and protest as well as acts of resistance. It was born from a social media event in response of concern for women’s rights with the new presidency. I, like so many other people, attended the historical event but I think I was not nearly on board with the messages and method. In my own personal view I hold the value of equality in high regards. I agreed that the plight of women in America is an important issue and needs to be work on, however I do not believe that it is a concept solely focused on by the Democratic party or those with liberal view. My disappointment with the march lies with the changes of a simple single issue protest to a bureaucratically controlled liberal agenda. The disenfranchise began with the news that pro-life women who originally were partners for the event were casted out and not invited to walk. During the march itself it began with a rally filled with speakers from various organization and performances, at first it was a fun and festive environment despite logistical errors. The setting could not hold the sheer amount of protestors. The rally continued to drag on and on as more speakers went over time and every organization just had to be presented. It seemed to me so eerily similar to attaching riders to a single legislation eventually burying the original cause with more controversial items. I came to demonstrate my support for women’s rights, not necessarily all the other issues. Not to say I was against anything that was pushed for, but attaching so many more parts takes away strength from the original intent. It was pushed to the point where the majority of protesters started to chant “start the march.” By the time the rally finished large groups of people had already began their own walks making it more a scene of marching women not a women’s march. Instead of focusing all the energy and political intent into a single statement, it became a scattered force strong in numbers but lacking directive. It as yet to been seen if the march had any impact but in my personal opinion, when grassroots movements get overtaken by various professional activist groups the issues in this case can easily get disregarded as an surge of the liberal agenda rather than national discontent. I would look to the civil right movements as reference.