One day after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office, tens of thousands of women are expected to march through the nation’s capital in protest at his controversial political platform.
Billed as the “largest mass mobilization” faced by any incoming administration in U.S. history, organizers such as Linda Sarsour of the Women’s March on Washington, hope it will send a “strong message” to Trump.
“We are watching you. We keep our eyes open. Some of us are already awake … and we are going stay awake for this next administration,” she told Spectrum News NY1 on January 12.
Other protest organizers include Tamika D. Mallory, a gun control activist, Carmen Perez of Gathering for Justice, and Bob Bland, a businessman.
Trump has been criticized for offensive commentary about women and minority groups.
“The time is now for us progressive to unite around justice and equality, just as our opposition has united around racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia,” Sarsour said.
Organizers expect as many as 200,000 women to attend, many bringing their children.
The march is due to begin at 10am and could last until late afternoon, the New York Times reported.
Bland, one of the organizers, told the Washington Post in an interview that the demonstrators wanted to tell Trump that his administration “will not roll back our rights.”
“You will not silence us. This can be an incredibly powerful statement and the beginning of the movement,” she said.
Joyce Beatty, a congresswoman from Ohio, said in a video posted to Facebook: “The march is about protecting our rights, our safety, our health, and our family. We recognize our vibrant and diverse community are the strength of our country because we all know that when women succeed, America succeeds.”
