Welcome President Trump
This past weekend in Boston, MA over 150,000 people congregated to protest against the statements, policy agendas and hateful ideologies represented by President Donald J. Trump. In contrast to the Inaguration Day protests in Washington D.C. that saw over 200 arrests, the vandalism of a Starbucks and the burning of at least one limousine, the scene in Boston was less angry and more optimistic.
Though many involved in the organization of the event criticized the lack of emphasis on intersectional feminism and issues that disproportionately impact communities of color, it was clear that the majority white crowd in Boston on Saturday was there to represent more than just themselves. They roared in support after Senator Elizabeth Warren uttered the words “Black Lives Matter” and gave their attentive ears to speakers like Leslie Jonas, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, as she talked about issues related to indigenous rights.
What was even more clear however, is that the election of Mr. Trump has ushered in a new era of political mobilization and engagement.
“My motivation for coming out was just to be apart of it because I know I’m upset. And I don’t want to just be upset and not do anything about it,” said Brittani Davis, a 19 year old college student. “I just want to support all the people he’s offended, because I’m one of them. I’m just upset about [Mr. Trump’s election] and felt like I had to take action.”
We all know that the election of Mr. Trump is offensive. We all know that its scary. But the crowd on Saturday also understood that the best way to make a difference was to take action and make their voices heard. Mr. Trump is the manifestation of generations of ignorance, privilege and misogyny. And that appealed to over 60 million Americans. Saturday’s showing however was the manifestation of the complete opposite. It represented the diversity that exists all around us, the open-mindedness we need to reach viable solutions and the compassion that has made the United States a place where communities from all walks of life have the opportunity to flourish.
The people that gathered on Saturday were hungry. Hungry for knowledge. Hungry for answers. Hungry for change. But at the same time, they were hurt. How could you not be, if you know that your president is a sexual predator? Or that he openly despises you and others like you because of the God that you worship? Or that he plans to rollback the rights that minority communities around the world have fought to gain for hundreds of years? For many people, Saturday was also about trying to come to terms with those hard truths.
“I spent a weekend in P-town [a haven for the gay community] right after the election with some very close friends and we tried to just come to terms with what had happened,” said Mark Pasnik, a 46 year old gay man and 20 year Boston resident. “We’re all pretty much in shock and disbelief that the country has chosen somebody who has been so hateful to so many people. For all my friends, its been kind of a big challenge to swallow the outcome of this election.”
One march, or even 650 marches worldwide, won’t change the fact that Mr. Trump is going to represent the United States of America for at least the next for years. What these marches do accomplish however is they’ve created a platform for people to express themselves. They’ve empowered communities all around the world to stand up and speak their truth. And they’ve sent a message to the powers that be, that this is just the beginning.
Last weekend millions of people became the change they wanted to see in the world. And that sentiment isn’t going anywhere.
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