Afterthoughts on the Portlandâs Womenâs March
The Portland Womenâs March that took place on January 21, 2017 was one of many sister marches throughout the world that grew in response to the Trump administrationâs view of women and womenâs rights. According to an interview with Bitch Media, Margaret Jacobsen, one of the main organizers of the Portland Womenâs March, had advocated for a march that was conflict-free and not political. While the march was filled with signs and chants that were aimed at the Trump administration, the march was widely seen as successful and, according to Portland police, even the largest peaceful protest to ever take place in Portland. However, the nature of that peace as well as the inclusivity of the march were both hot topics of discussion around campus and the city as a whole after the march was completed. The Womenâs March mission statement read that âWe stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.â Yet anecdotes from some of the most marginalized groups of our society felt that the Womenâs March was not really for them, and just another nod to white supremacy.
The march, which began at 11:00 am at the Tom Mccall Waterfront Park, spanned about 2.2 miles. The number of attendants has not been confirmed however the Portland Fire Bureau said the attendants numbered more than 70,000 and organizers of the march estimated that there may have been as many as 100,000 people in attendance. In addition, the march was acknowledged as being successful due to its ability to remain peaceful. Portland Police Bureau Sergeant Pete Simpson said in an interview with KOIN 6 News that, âThe credit really goes to the organizers for working with the city, meeting with the police bureau to help plan the route and allow us to get the proper resources in place.â Many individuals who attended however had a much different view of why the event was able to remain so peaceful. Jacobsen stated in their interview with Bitch Media that the safety was a result of the race of the group. âIf [the march was] predominantly people of color with our children, it would probably have been a very different story and a different interaction,â Jacobsen said. While the planning of the event in Portland seemed to aim for intersectionality, the origins of the event nationwide did not seem to uphold intersectional values.
In addition to the issue of safety, there was also a lot of controversy surrounding the wide use of the pink âpussyâ hats that became the image of the march nationwide. Many people began to point of the trouble of associating a march for all women so strongly with genitalia. The connection between being a woman and resonating with the âpussyâ hat was so strongly normalized by this march that many individuals who wanted to participate felt they did not belong. Kimberly Becerra, a member of the Womenâs Resource Center community, did not attend the march due to its lack of inclusivity. According to Becerra, being a minority at the march was so visible that it did not feel uniting at all. Becerra pointed out that the majority of the individuals at the Womenâs March had not been present at prior marches in the city of Portland, making it feel like the majority was only participating once they personally had been attacked. âWhere were they all when Trump started his campaign?â Becerra wondered. âWill they be there next time? Are they going to be there for sex workers? For trans women's rights?â Becerra felt as though the individuals at the march were benefiting from the work that minority groups have already been doing and yet the minority groups did not receive any of the credit. âI felt forced to give up space to those who think they are entitled to it,â Becerra explained.
While Becerra was not alone in feeling this way, there was also a large amount of positive responses to the march. After the event, social media was flooded with positive posts from individuals who did attend. Womenâs Resource Center community member Rae Dinello who was in attendance at the march felt a strong connection to her mother while at the event. âThe Women's March was an incredible experience for me,â Dinello said. âI talked to my mom in the morning and she had dialysis that morning and ended up walking [at the march] in San Francisco. I felt connected to her while I was walking. I felt empowered by everyone there. I also learned a lot about intersectional feminism and how I can be an ally to everyone.â
Whether individuals agreed that the march was a success or not, everyone seemed to agree on the importance of continuing the movement. In the words of Jacobsen, the goal now is to get everyone who attended the event involved in the next steps. Jacobsenâs personal goal, stated in their interview with Bitch Media is, âTo have [everyone involved in the march] donate money and support the people who have been working at things every day for years.â
If youâre looking for some places to donate post-march here are some ideas:
http://now.org/more-ways-to-give/
https://give.hrc.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1954&ea.campaign.id=51848&_ga=1.109084165.1475167696.1478722857
https://donate.rainn.org/
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/
https://www.reproductiverights.org/
https://give.thetrevorproject.org/checkout/donation?eid=63307
http://www.immigrationequality.org/
If you want to learn more, here is an awesome podcast with organizer Margaret Jacobsen talking about the event and intersectional feminism:
http://www.kboo.org/media/55180-womens-march-organizer-margaret-jacobsen
âBeyond Walking and Talking: A Post-March Postmortem with Portland Womenâs March Organizer Margaret Jacobsenâ by Andi Zeisler. (Jan 25, 2017). https://bitchmedia.org/article/beyond-walking-and-talking/post-march-postmortem-portland-womens-march-organizer-margaret
â100,000 people flock to Portland Women's March, organizers say,â by The Oregonian and Oregon Live. (Jan 24, 2017). http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2017/01/100000_people_flock_to_portlan.html
âWomenâs March on Portland âeasilyâ one of cityâs largest,â by KOIN 6 News Staff. (Jan 21, 2017). http://koin.com/2017/01/21/womens-march-on-portland-could-be-citys-biggest-ever/
Written by: Devon Stoeber
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