The Women’s March On Washington (WMW)––a march for those who believe in women’s rights and human rights––took place on January 21, 2017. A rally was held beforehand at 10 am, and the marching began around 1:15 pm. Demonstrators were to meet at the intersection of Independence Avenue and SW Third Street near the Capital. However, with such a high attendance, crowds extended beyond those boundaries.

     According to Women’s March, the WMW is a “grassroots effort comprised of dozens of independent coordinators at the state level.” Their mission for demonstrating was to send a message to the new government on their first day of the job by standing together and defending their human rights. As reported by The New York Times, the Women’s March had three times as many people participating as Trump’s inauguration.

    The Washington D.C. rally had a handful of speakers, such as America Ferrera, renowned actress Scarlett Johansson, singer Cher, and many more powerful and influential women. They joined in the march’s efforts along with Planned Parenthood (PP) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Kelley Robinson of PP states, “It’s moments like this when I’m proudest to count myself among the Planned Parenthood family. Together, in Washington and across the country, we’ll send a clear message to extremists: We are stronger than your attempts to divide us. We won’t stand idly by as you try to roll back our fundamental rights––and that includes fighting like hell to stop every attempt to defund Planned Parenthood health centers.”

    Even Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, a member of Congress, marched that day. Many other organizations have partnered up with Women’s March On Washington to support the cause.

    Sister marches for those who could not attend the one in Washington D.C. took place in many countries around the globe. Antarctica, Mexico, Australia, Poland, and South Africa to name a few. Thousands of people united for one day to promote the same cause. However, there was more to it than just women’s rights. Crowds gathered to march for causes such as immigration policies, racial tensions, and LGBTQ+ rights. Signs of all kinds filled the streets held by people who want to change the world. “Women won’t back down”, “not up 4 grabs”, and “love trumps hate” were just a few. Although those fighting for women’s rights showed unity on the day of the march, many hope that the efforts won’t stop there. The Women’s March On Washington created, as stated on womensmarch.com, “change from the grassroots level up.”

     Women across the world are still trying to create change to this day. On International Women’s Day, March 8th, the same people who put together the Women’s March are asking people to join together in making it A Day Without a Woman. There were three ways to participate; women taking the day off from work, avoid shopping for the day, and/or wear red. This demonstration was to promote equality and human rights. This event was overall successful because it brought many cultures and races together. The Women’s March ultimately caused a butterfly effect: A Day Without a Woman being a prime example of the effectiveness of January 21.