Picture the entire town of Wallingford trying to fit in the PMAC. Tomorrow, January 21, the streets of Washington, D.C., and other major cities will be much, much more crowded. Held on the day after the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, the Women’s March on Washington will greet Trump on his first day in office — by staging hundreds of international protests against his presidency.
Spanning the United States and abroad, locations include New York City; Tokyo, Japan; Anchorage, Alaska; Lancaster, England; and our very own Hartford, Conn. According to the organizers an estimated 725,000 people are scheduled to attend either the Washington march or a sister march. Many in the Choate community will be among them.
Passionate about social justice and political activism, Edie Conekin-Tooze ’19 is one such attendee. After the results of the 2016 presidential election, Conekin-Tooze felt that she needed to act. Following the election results, Conekin-Tooze attended two protests: one in New York and the other in New Haven. Traveling with her mother to Washington, D.C., she plans to make the Women’s March on Washington her third overall.
“I think it’s important to fight against the normalization of the hatred that Donald Trump stands for,” said Conekin-Tooze. “As a woman, and especially as someone who believes in inclusivity and diversity, it’s important for me to say, ‘This isn’t okay. This isn’t normal. This isn’t the world I want to live in.’”
Chemistry teacher Ms. Julie Oxborough-Yankus also plans to attend the Women’s March but in New York, not Washington, instead. By participating in the event, Ms. Oxborough-Yankus hopes to expand her voice beyond the Choate community. She said, “We’re a select population here on campus, and I just want to get a bigger sense of what’s going on. It’s important that our new president know that there are a lot of people who have some very strong opinions about his campaign, from women’s issues to human issues.”
However, students have questioned the march’s commitment to inclusivity. Mirialie DeJesus ’18, president of the Hispanic-Latino Forum, expressed concerns about the event’s accessibility to women of color. “The organizers of the event claim that they’re pro-women’s rights, but it’s not clear which women they’re fighting for,” DeJesus said.
DeJesus’s criticisms mirror those of organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). As of January 11, the NAACP Portland chapter has pulled their support for the march, citing the organizers’ reluctance to address issues affecting women of color for fear of being too “political.”
According to the march organizers, the event hopes to represent all women in the protest. In the Women’s March on Washington’s Unity Principle, the organization explained their dedication to inclusivity: “We must create a society in which women — in particular Black women, Native women, poor women, immigrant women, Muslim women, and queer and trans women — are free and able to care for and nurture their families, however they are formed, in safe and healthy environments free from structural impediments.”
Though the march advocates female empowerment, members of all genders are welcome to attend. However, they must share the core belief of the event: gender equality.
Among them will be biology teacher Mr. Deron Chang. By participating in the march, Mr. Chang hopes to act in support of women’s rights. He stated, “I think it’s just as important for men to be involved in the Women’s March as it was for whites to be involved in the Civil Rights Movement. I want to have women see that there are men out there who will stand with them.” Mr. Chang plans to attend with his wife, Ms. Penny Chang; his daughter, Abigail Chang ’19; and his son Callum Chang, who is in sixth grade.
Mr. Chang said, “I think if my son is exposed to this, and if he sees that there are a lot of people who are focused on this one thing, then it must be pretty important. None of us are governors, none of us are mayors, none of us are senators, but we’re all coming together to express our opinions. I think that’s incredibly powerful for a sixth grader to be part of.”
For those who were troubled by the results of the election, attending these marches is one of many meaningful ways to protest. Ms. Oxborough-Yankus said, “It’s not convenient for me to attend the march. But it’s not enough for me just to say ‘I wish I could go.’”
