3,000 + at Women’s March on Binghamton
"This is What Democracy Looks Like" was one of the chants at Binghamton's iteration of the international Women's March and it was 3000 strong with a great diversity of people attending. Donna Lupardo our State Assembly rep and Jason Garner, our new County Exec, both urged women to run for office on every level of government, especially, as Lupardo pointed out, "2017 is the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote in New York State." The March was organized by Citizen Action, BC Democratic Women, and the NAACP, among others.
Popular signs were "Make America Kind Again," "Make America Think Again," "Love Trumps Hate," "Hands Off!" indicating an anti-Trump feeling–and worry about the future. Others: "Black Live Matter More Than White Feelings," "Love is Love," and "Protect Your Sisters not just your Cis-ters." Several people expressed concern about the loss of insurance coverage when the Affordable Care Act is repealed.
CNN, the NY Times and other media outlets have declared that the March was the largest ever demonstration in one day. Jeremy Pressman U of Connecticut and Erica Chenoweth of U of Denver are keeping track of attendance figures worldwide. Although it is a work in progress they estimate 3.3 -4.6 million people attended in 642 locations. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xa0iLqYKz8x9Yc_rfhtmSOJQ2EGgeUVjvV4A8LsIaxY/htmlview?sle=true#gid=0_)
Encouraged by the tremendous numbers of people resisting the Trump agenda, the true test will come in strategically mobilizing people to vote and organize. Locally, Claudia Tenney, newly elected Congress person and arch conservative is likely to be a special target for activists. Nationally, Michael Moore and other have called for "100 Days of Resistance." A publication called Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda is gaining attention among organizers. It deconstructs the success of the Tea Party and sets out a plan to do the same for the progressive movement. It was (and continues to be) written by volunteers who have Congressional experience and have watched the far right hijack the Obama agenda. For a copy and updates to the guide go to www.IndivisibleGuide.com. OR Download below
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