United States: crisis in the Women’s March?

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The Women's March in the United States took place over the weekend, the same day that Trump served 2 years as president, but this time without so much success

The third edition of the Women's March in the United States was held last Saturday, but with less assistance than in their past editions. In addition, within this manifestation, the ideological division that has flooded within the movement has been evidenced lately. In LatinAmerican Post we tell you everything you need to know.

Leer en español: Estados Unidos: ¿crisis en la Marcha de Mujeres?

Since when are these marches done?

The first demonstration was set for January 21, 2017, one day after Trump was promoted as president; as an expression to defend not only the rights of women but the right to health, public education, rights for LGBT people, among others. It should be noted that the marches were convened through Facebook, after being made known the sexist comments of President Donald Trump (when he said that women had to be grabbed by the pussy).

Similarly, the mission of these marches, according to the official website, is "committed to dismantling systems of oppression through non-violent resistance and the construction of inclusive structures guided by self-determination, dignity and respect."

This is how in 2018, women went back to the streets demanding their rights. However, they took the opportunity to protest the power of the ballot boxes, where they manifested and demanded the increase of voter participation through new registers. With this, the political participation of women was encouraged more and they were cataloged as important actors in the defense of women's rights, as Telesur affirmed.

As a result of the visibility of the need to have more political participation, the midterm elections resulted in a historic event. The previous, due to the high participation and feminine election in benches in which usually a man occupied. Also, the third most important position of the government of the United States is in charge of the Democrat Nancy Pelosi, a woman who had already been president of the House of Representatives.

Maybe you're interested in reading: Nancy Pelosi Split party for the Democrat?

Precisely, in the march of this year, in several banners was the slogan "Upload the wave of women." On the other hand, the organization proposes to promote progressive laws, through a political document called the "Women's Agenda" , according to CNN. The agenda, which is expected to be achieved in 2020, covers issues such as:

• General rights
• Disability rights
• Civil rights and freedoms
• Reproductive rights, health, justice.
• End violence against women
• End state violence
• Economic justice and workers' rights
• Rights of immigrants
• Rights of the LGBT + community
• Racial justice
• Environmental justice

Therefore, this is one of the central axes that still holds together the march is the opposition to Trump. Well, as stated by La Prensa Austral, several banners of the "republican leader with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, were seen. Trump as a puppet, as a dog, as a prey hunted. "

Also read: United States: How long will the closure of the Government last?

So, why is it in crisis?

It seems that this year's March did not bring anything new to the table. However, within the same organization, there are divisions due to anti-Semitic accusations (hostile attitudes towards Jews), originated by Tamika Mallory, director of the march, "in an act of Nation of Islam in which the black nationalist Louis Farrakhan performed incendiary statements about the Jews, " according to InfoLibre.

Another problem is that women march for so many issues, that they even forget why they are doing it . This is what Valerie Marie says in a testimony in El País: "we want our rights to be respected, to educate our children equally, but here there are many who come for other reasons".

In addition, another of the main criticisms and why the march is questioned, is the fact that it does not really represent the feminist struggle, because it advocates more for the rights of different communities than for the rights of women . For Kelsey Harkness, the main news producer for The Daily Signal, "the Women's March never represented women as a unified force. Instead, it represented radically liberal women who were upset with the results of the 2016 presidential election".

Therefore, the fact that the March is called that way and that women go out to participate in them, does not mean that all those who attend are in agreement with what is proposed. When there is no clarity for what is being fought, each assistant can get to appropriate it in his own way.

The pink caps

Despite having a division currently, thousands of women who took to the streets of Washington, New York, among others, made use of the traditional hat. Called pussyhat, pink hat, or hat with cat ears, this accessory became the symbol of the march, all due to the statements of Trump.

LatinAmerican Post | Laura Viviana Guevara Muñoz

Translated from "Estados Unidos: ¿crisis en la Marcha de Mujeres?"