It was called by many Women’s March 2.0.
For those who thought the massive marches and rallies following the inauguration of President Donald Trump one year ago were simply a one off, witnessed a repeat performance this past weekend.
The first march may have been a reactionary moment sparked by the fear of the unknown with the election of a man who was accused of sexual assault by 19 women and who campaigned on racist and isolationist immigration policies.
The 2017 marches spawned an unprecedented show of unity that would see the emergence of new advocacy groups and solidarity among women’s groups like we’ve never seen before.
After a wave of sexual assault allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein became public in October, the #MeToo and Times Up movements took off on Twitter, exposing several high-profile men accused of sexual assault or sexual misconduct.
The movement is also having a measurable impact on all sectors of society. It is encouraging people — women, men and children — to step forward and seek help when they have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual improprieties.
The estimated 250 rallies that took place this past weekend in cities throughout the U.S., Canada and around the world attracted hundreds of thousands of men, women and children and they reinforced the message that one year into the Trump Presidency, the basic rights of women, immigrants, people of color, sexual orientation and others are under attack.
Many of the US rallies, including a massive turnout near the White House in Washington, had political overtones and focused on the 2018 midterm elections and voting Republicans who support Trump out of office. U.S. Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi urged women to run for office and vote to oppose Trump and the Republicans' agenda with her chant "We march, we run, we vote, we win.”
As he is apt to do several times a day, President Trump took to Twitter Saturday with his response to the Women’s Marches demonstrating once again how out of touch and tone deaf he is to women’s issues.
“Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!,” the President tweeted.
There are certainly no historic milestones to celebrate from his one year in office. You can question if any of his policies have benefited women. If anything, he’s marginalized communities and managed to drive a wedge between races and religions.
While the U.S. president is quick to take credit for the nation’s thriving economy and increased job numbers, the current state of the economy is more the results from the economic legacy of the Obama Presidency than what Trump has done with his first year in office.
While in Trump’s world as he would tell you “It’s the economy stupid,” the hundreds of thousands of men and women marching in the streets of America’s cities last weekend know it is about much more.
Geoff deGannes is the past chairman of the Tantramar Radio Society. His daily commentaries can be heard on 107.9 CFTA.