It’s been six months since Donald Trump was elected president, and organizers of the largest protest in U.S. history are marking the date by holding sit-ins at congressional offices across the country, and asking supporters to re-commit themselves to activism.
As of Monday afternoon, more than 67,000 individuals and groups had signed the Women’s March’s “Pledge of Liberation” ― a petition that re-affirms supporters’ commitment to the goals spelled out in the group’s original policy platform.
“We will no longer allow our issues to be treated as if they are in competition with each other, rather than integral to one another,” the pledge states, calling for an end to sexual violence and for racial justice, among eight other core goals.
“This is exactly six months after the election in November, and six months before the next election,” Cassady Fendlay, head of communications for the Women’s March, told HuffPost. “To really put a capstone on what we brought together for the Women’s March, we have taken our unity principles and turned them into a letter calling upon members of Congress ― and all elected officials ― to understand that these issues are intersectional, they are integral to each other and we are building a movement that will not fall prey to divide-and-conquer tactics.”
On Monday, pockets of activists posted images to social media of their “liberation demonstrations,” held at legislative offices across the country.
Many of the local protests had more specific aims. For example, several were billed as anti-American Health Care Act demonstrations, staged at the offices of House members who voted for the Republican health care bill.
In Ohio, activists turned out in support of Bresha Meadows, the teenager who was accused of killing her allegedly abusive father and who was recently offered a plea deal.
The pledge and Monday’s sit-ins mark the end of the group’s 10 actions/100 days campaign, although Fendlay told HuffPost it would not be the Women’s March’s final “action” ― the word they have used to describe a series of activities aimed at keeping the momentum rolling after January’s massive marches.
Fendlay said the group will be releasing information about its next event later this week.
