Thousands of people rallied in cities across the country for the 2020 Women’s March, their loud chants ringing across the streets and signs hoisted high. The marches took place on Saturday, January 18. Members of Bluestockings, a club dedicated to gender equality, and interested community members planned to travel to Springfield, MA to participate in the Pioneer Valley Women’s March. Unfortunately, the trip had to be canceled due to bad weather.
The Pioneer Valley march was one of many around the country modeled on the larger, original initiative held in Washington D.C. This initiative began with the creation of a Facebook event by retired lawyer Teresa Shook of Hawaii, suggesting a march on Washington in the wake of the 2016 presidential election.
The inaugural Women’s March on Washington was held on January 21, 2017, the day after President Donald Trump was inaugurated. The rally in the capital and similar protests all across the nation were aimed chiefly at Trump’s administration. Protesters created signs with messages like, “The future is female,” or wore pink, pointy-eared “pussyhats.”
The New York Times reported that over 470,000 people attended the march in Washington D.C., making the gathering the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. Since then, the annual nationwide event has inspired activism on a wide variety of social issues.
This year’s marches brought attendees together to show support for many pressing issues, including women’s reproductive rights and the rights of LGBTQ+ people and immigrants. Lucy Bulley ’21, co-head of Bluestockings, said, “At this time, when women’s rights are more under attack than they have been in a long time, going and participating became even more important.”
Bluestockings welcomes students of all gender identities at their meetings.