In 2017, droves of carnation pink hats stormed the streets of Washington in the largest single-day protest of American history. This weekend, the nation will witness yet another meteoric rise of women in a renewal of resistance against the oppressive political and social establishments of today. Pledging rallying new voter registrations, the movement intends to resist the largely conservative agenda heralded by Mr. Trump by integrating the ideologies of minorities and other suppressed voices into the current political scene.
The Women’s March of 2018, themed “Power to the Polls,” aspires to mend America’s splintered political landscape, now polarized by hyper-partisanship and mutual distrust, by reviving civic participation. With a backdrop in the battleground state of Nevada that “will shape the Senate in 2018,” the march will encourage voters to voice their opinions in the 2018 midterm elections.
“Women’s March has created a powerful movement that has ignited thousands of activists and new leaders. In 2018, we must turn our work into action ahead of the midterms. This new initiative will address voter registration and voter suppression head on. We marched for justice in DC, we created our plan in Detroit and now we’re bringing the power of the polls to Nevada.” -Tamika D. Mallory, co-president of the Women’s March
The kickoff event at the Las Vegas Sam Boyd Stadium will showcase singer Faith Evans and female empowerment visionaries, such as Melissa Harris-Perry and Marisa Tomei. Statements by prominent grassroots organizations- Planned Parenthood and Black Lives Matter- will also rally for social reform. For those unable to attend, the kickoff will be streamed live on the event website.
In a multitude of cities across the nation, hundreds Power to the Polls anniversary marches will be initiated on Saturday, January 20. The Women’s March website features a search directory to assist participants in locating regional demonstrations.
Marches staged in the cosmopolitan hubs Washington D.C. and New York City are projected to yield the greatest participants. The New York pre-march rally will occur 11:30 A.M. at the intersection of Central Park and 61st/62nd streets, with a formal march winding ensuing at 12:30 P.M. from Central Park West and 72nd Street.
The D.C. event is slated for 11 A.M. at the reflecting pool parallel to the Lincoln Memorial.
Women’s March founders will partner with progressive coalitions at thriving city hubs to launch a national tour of ten swing states. Striving to mobilize voters to the polls, the tour hopes to revive the movement’s empowering spirit.
“We all must commit to fighting the systemic voter suppression laws that inhibit so many of our communities from voting. This campaign will mobilize a new group of activists to create accessible power to our voting polls.” -Linda Sarsour, co-chair of the Women’s March
The iconic Women’s March has taken intersectional feminism to over 5,500 grassroots groups- hurdles- across the nation. Its values of defiance, dissent, and feminine virtue are visibly shifting the sociopolitical landscape of America.
