Reflections from Inauguration Protests and Women’s March
RSWG organized to get members down to Washington DC to protest the new administration. Read some members reflections from the day!
Brian Romero, Steering Committee
On the day of inauguration, RSWG joined in solidarity with the It Takes Roots delegation, a group of different alliances, the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance (GGJ), the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA), the Right to the City Alliance (RTC), and the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) in direct actions. At the United States Department of Energy we joined in proclaiming that #WaterIsLife and acted in solidarity with Standing Rock against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline and all efforts that harm our Indigenous siblings. At the Department of Housing we proclaimed that housing is a human right and protested the ongoing systemic racism that continues to plague communities of color by pushing us out of our homes.
What has been unable to leave my mind is the fact that while in route to the Women’s and Allies march that Saturday, I observed an eager white woman getting her transit card with her husband as he aggressively spoke to her. He asked her to hurry, to calm down, and to “stop trying to be young”. I won’t say that I intervened because I didn’t. I have my own internal reasons for why that is. However, it has stayed with me since and has reminded me of the work that men must do in acknowledging our privilege and power and working intentionally to undermine, disrupt and help dismantle patriarchy. If we are not able to do this while organizing to undo racism and classism we risk another Chump assuming power down the line.
Women of color have nurtured me my whole life and it is my duty to continue to be in solidarity with them, and put my body in between them and the forces that seek to harm them now more than ever. I look forward to more efforts that are organized by those most affected by systemic racism and oppression. I also look forward to intersectional feminism which centers race in dialogue and strategizing. Despite what is ahead I am confident that together we will RESIST.
The first thing I remember from my experience in the Women’s March is the palpability of the crowds, the pure volume of bodies, the soggy sky and the physical experience of the space that we were all taking up with our bodies. I am grateful to have my experience enriched by the power of those who did not physically take up space, whose bodies weren't in D.C.
I drove down Saturday morning with my partner (in life and protests), my mom (who hasn’t protested since 1963), and my colleague and friend (an extraordinary social worker attending her first protest). Once we got to the March, we were joined by a complete stranger, D, who participated from her home in Virginia. D was unable to attend the march due to chronic illness, and was matched with me to carry her sign and connect her to the March through texts, videos, and photos in real-time (when the frustratingly slow cell service would allow!). As my family and I held her sign in the crowds of people, blocks away from the stage, D shared her feelings of pride in being counted in the Women’s March, and in being able to be seen by others there.
While there are, and should be, many critiques of the march, I am left with a stronger connection to my family and friends because we crossed our comfort zones together. I am inspired by the recent vision groups of RSWG. We are having conversations about undoing the hierarchy in the structure of social services, and how to actively work to make actions meaningfully inclusive. I am inspired by by the people I provide services for who have medical and mental health barriers to physical participation in marches, but are passionate advocates themselves. I am grateful to have experienced this march with D. and value her insights into the work needed to connect with those who are homebound, and to make space and craft a conduit for their power as we all build our community.
Rachel Isreeli, Active Base
At 1am on J20, I took a bus down to DC with the Answer Coalition, joining thousands in protesting the inauguration. As we made our way through ominous red hats from the metro to the checkpoint, we were greeted by black and brown men of all ages, decked out in red Trump gear, selling hats, scarves and t-shirts: The violent and dismal systems of racism and capitalism manifested as a precarious human facade.
Once through the checkpoints, we gathered by the Navy Memorial at a site Answer secured through extensive legal struggle for the right to assemble and protest. We were a sea of militant socialists and radicals, building resistance through rage, joy, poignant stories and analysis - opposite from bleachers for Trump supporters that were empty for 75% of our time. Throughout our 8 hours of protesting, the organizers gave periodic reports: the secret service was opening express entry lanes for supporters while prohibiting protesters; there were thousands of people outside, waiting to come in; there were rolling closures of checkpoints; protestors just entering had waited up to five hours; media was covering “violent” arrests but not our protests visible along the parade route. We could taste fascism in our mouths.
We knew about the DisruptJ20/It Takes Roots demonstrations outside where RSWG colleagues were protesting. How did the coordinated blockading of checkpoints intersect with the reports we were getting of the secret service’s suppression of entry?
Saturday we marched alongside the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Grassroots Global Justice. There have been ample analyses elsewhere of the racist white and transphobic cis-centering of J21, the stark contrast in policing, the mobilization of activists vs. marchers, as well as the unanticipated intersectionality and opportunity created by having millions mobilized in the streets.
So, what are some implications for radical social workers based on these experiences? Here are a few questions for us:
What are the different tactics we may be using to mobilize our communities, our colleagues, and folks we serve?
In what ways might we be replicating structures of oppression and internalized dominance through this work, e.g. suppressing voice, using paternalistic approaches, ignoring our role in social control, de-centering communities that should lead this work?
How do we welcome those who are new to activism, and connect to mass organizations?
How can we transform trauma and rage into healing and liberation through social action?
How can we create space to integrate political education through all aspects of our work, raising consciousness, building solidarity, shifting power and organizing?
How do we integrate multiple organizing tactics while simultaneously building unity and communication (e.g. Answer’s inauguration route protest and DisruptJ20’s blockades)?
