At first glance, Women’s March appears to be a natural grassroots organization. However, it has shifted away from its grassroots and ultimately its original message.
Women’s March mission statement reads:
“The mission of Women’s March is to harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change. Women’s March is a women-led movement providing intersectional education on a diverse range of issues and creating entry points for new grassroots activists & organizers to engage in their local communities through trainings, outreach programs and events. Women’s March is committed to dismantling system of oppression through nonviolent resistance and building inclusive structures guided by self-determination, dignity, and respect”
Most people can get behind this mission statement. We can agree that women and men should be treated equally, and be granted the same rights. However, this movement has failed to articulate what exactly is being deprived from women. These movements have a stated goal in mind, however there appears to be ulterior political motives behind it.
In response to President Trump’s election in 2016, women across the world organized on January 20th, 2017 for the Women’s March. On January 21st, 2018 another march was organized. I attended a local rally for the Women’s March in my hometown of San Marcos, California at Palomar College (which I attended). My goal was to see for myself what their true intentions were. When I arrived, I was not shocked to see the normal regalia and signs that I had seen on TV. However, there was a disproportionate number of signs displaying animosity towards President Trump and Republicans rather than the message of their mission statement. Furthermore, there was a line of booths that included special interest groups and democratic politicians registering attendants and asking for donations.
On the surface, I believe that the Women’s March is a movement that is heavily influenced by operatives in the Democratic Party. Andrew Breitbart once said that politics is downstream from culture. The Democratic party knows this all too well and it is why they are trying to take hold of these movements and wield influence for political gain. Women’s March has clearly shifted away from a cultural grassroots organization to a politically infused movement. This has become a partisan movement that has shifted away from its mission to be in opposition to the Republican party.
