The Inevitable Politicization of the Women’s March
“And this time we’re coming back with an agenda,” the front page of the 2019 Women’s March Inc. website reads. For an organization that has recently come onto fire for alleged anti-semitism, and illegal fundraising — it’s quite a bold tagline.
More striking than that — however — is the underlying assumption that prior to this year no agenda existed.
The very founding of Women’s March’s Inc. blossomed from an agenda. It was just an agenda that was less contentious, an agenda that momentarily transcended identity politics, and that centered upon a moment of solidarity for women across America who were distraught over the triumph of Donald Trump.
The agenda of opposition was wildly successful, drawing crowds of almost one million to Washington, DC alone on January 8th 2017, and inspiring independent marches across the country and around the globe.
As Senator Kristin Gillibrand put it, the Women’s March was the “most inspiring and transformational moment I’ve ever witnessed in politics.” With that statement, unbeknownst to her, she also captured two keys things that led to the march’s future demise.
It was political, and it was a moment — not a movement.
It’s politicization was palatable in 2017 because there was no concrete agenda marchers could dispute. President Trump may have won, but we will not acquiesce our quest for progress was the underlying unifier at the outset. The March was a moment of protest, a moment where opponents of the President’s sexism could rally together with force. What no one yet knew was the effect his Presidency would bring to women’s rights. Widespread apprehension led to a symbolic moment of collective defiance.
Due to its massive success, the continuity of The Women’s March 2017 into Women’s March Inc. was expected. But when a cultural moment becomes a 501(c)(4), a more organized policy agenda follows suit, and leaders must choose what they stand for. An extremely progressive platform soon developed, the first mark of its increasing politicization.
This platform soon let identity politics prevail, and anti-semitism towards Jewish people run rampant under the leadership of Tamika Mallory and Carmen Perez. The DNC will not be sponsoring the event this year, and neither 2017 speakers Senator Gillibrand or Senator Kamala Harris will be in attendance. Founder Vanessa Ruble is no longer affiliated with the march, and participation this weekend on the third anniversary is not expected to be record-setting.
But whether or not anti-semitism had afflicted the march’s leadership, the creation of a parsed out agenda would still have led to lower turnout in the years to come. The politics were more veiled the first year. Now — with numerous Democratic nominees emerging and presenting unique visions for a future America — so too do contrasting visions for how to achieve gender equality. This is not suprising.
Gender is not the strongest determinant of how people vote — religion is. Ideology comes second. And with these key determinants comes competing narratives of feminism, of women’s role in the workforce, and of the right kind of policies to advance on the national level.
Women’s March Inc. provides just one narrative.
Women Movements around the world have achieved remarkable things — Saudi Women are now able to drive, 47% of countries around the world now have had a women-head of state, and here in the United States, a record shattering number of women were elected to Congress this year.
No single women’s movement achieved this. That fact doesn’t denigrate the validity of each individual step forward, and the collective power of momentum to fuel each movement’s goals and demands.
As I look to this Saturday, I will choose to stay home from Women’s March Inc. because as a Jewish woman, the remarks made by their leadership are extremely offensive. But I’m far from sitting this one out. I am just choosing a different narrative to claim as my own: one that truly celebrates the intersectionality of feminism, and prioritizes the election of more women leaders to achieve the gender parity I desire.
I hope women across the country will join me this week in reflecting on their own goals for equality and how best to get there. Progress depends on looking back at the past. The 2017 march provides a great place to start. It’s gravity and unprecedented participation are cemented into the American history books — but now it’s time to look ahead at how best to make history in 2019.
