[In a global exclamation of defiance and solidarity, over 1 million people rallied at women’s marches in the nation’s capital and cities around the world Saturday to send President Donald Trump an emphatic message on his first full day in office that they won’t let his agenda go unchallenged.
(Pls. visit the site to view the visuals.)] http://khon2.com/2017/01/21/over-1-million-join-anti-trump-womens-marches-worldwide-including-hawaii/ Over 1 million join anti-Trump women’s marches worldwide, including Hawaii By The Associated Press and KHON2 Web Staff Published: January 21, 2017, 12:20 pm Updated: January 21, 2017, 7:30 pm ***In a global exclamation of defiance and solidarity, over 1 million people rallied at women’s marches in the nation’s capital and cities around the world Saturday to send President Donald Trump an emphatic message on his first full day in office that they won’t let his agenda go unchallenged.*** [Emphasis added.] The Oahu’s Women’s March in Honolulu around the State Capitol included thousands of demonstrators who braved the rainy weather (see above video). Participants say they joined the millions of others in standing up for the protection and preservation of diversity, health, safety, with a motto that women’s rights are human rights. Three of those who participated were Sidney Grimsley, Polly Stamps and Kris Grimsley. “We’re three generations living in Hawaii and I’m obviously the oldest,” Stamps said, “and we gained a lot of women’s rights in my lifetime, and I don’t want them to slip away, I want them to move forward.” “I think it’s important for our voices to be heard and to fight for what we believe in and continue to have the rights that we fought for in the past,” Sidney Grimsley said. “We’ve come so far,” said Kris Grimsley. “I learned from my mom and I want my daughter to be able to continue to have freedoms and rights, continue progressing forward, like we are.” Following the march, a rally was held at the State Capitol until about 3 p.m. Marches were also held in Hilo, Kailua-Kona, Molokai and Kahului. Hana resident and retired attorney Teresa Shook has been acknowledged as the person responsible for getting the ball rolling via an earlier Facebook post. Photo of Maui Women's March in Kahului courtesy Anne Miura Photo of Maui Women’s March in Kahului courtesy Anne Miura Molokai Women's March photo courtesy Nida Langer Molokai Women’s March photo courtesy Nida Langer Many of the women came wearing pink, pointy-eared “pussyhats” to mock the new president. Plenty of men joined in, too, contributing to surprising numbers everywhere from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles to Mexico City, Paris, Berlin, London, Prague and Sydney. The outpouring served to underscore the degree to which Trump has unsettled people in both hemispheres. “We march today for the moral core of this nation, against which our new president is waging a war,” actress America Ferrera told the Washington crowd. “Our dignity, our character, our rights have all been under attack, and a platform of hate and division assumed power yesterday. But the president is not America. … We are America, and we are here to stay.” The Washington rally attracted over 500,000 people by the unofficial estimate of city officials – apparently more than Trump’s inauguration drew on Friday. Turnout in the capital was so heavy that the designated march route alongside the National Mall was impassable. Protesters were told to make their way to the Ellipse near the White House by way of other streets, triggering a chaotic scene that snarled downtown Washington. “We want a leader, not a creepy tweeter,” some marchers chanted. Others: “Welcome to your first day, we will not go away!” Around the world, women brandished signs with slogans such as “Women won’t back down” and “Less fear more love.” They decried Trump’s stand on such issues as abortion, health care, diversity and climate change. And they branded him a sexist, a bully, a bigot and more. In Chicago, organizers canceled the march portion of their event for safety reasons after the overflow crowd reached an estimated 150,000. People made their way through the streets on their own anyway. In New York, well over 100,000 marched past Trump’s home at glittering Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. More than 100,000 also gathered on Boston Common, and a similar number demonstrated in Los Angeles. In Miami, real estate agent Regina Vasquez, 51, brought a sign saying “Repeal and Replace Trump.” “I believe that strength is in the numbers, and that we should all come out and not make Trump the new normal,” she said. All told, more than 600 “sister marches” were planned worldwide. Crowd estimates from police and organizers around the globe added up to more than a million. “I feel very optimistic even though it’s a miserable moment,” said Madeline Schwartzman of New York City, who brought her twin 13-year-old daughters to the Washington rally. “I feel power.” Retired teacher Linda Lastella, 69, who came to Washington from Metuchen, New Jersey, said she had never marched before but felt the need to speak out when “many nations are experiencing this same kind of pullback and hateful, hateful attitudes.” “It just seemed like we needed to make a very firm stand of where we were,” she said. AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz As the demonstrators rallied alongside the National Mall, Trump opened his first full day as president by attending a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, a tradition for the day after inauguration, and later visited the CIA. As he traveled around town, his motorcade passed large groups of protesters that would have been hard to miss. The rallies were a peaceful counterpoint to the window-smashing unrest that unfolded on Friday when self-described anarchists tried to disrupt the inauguration. Police used pepper spray and stun grenades against the demonstrators. More than 200 people were arrested. Marlita Gogan, who came to Washington from Houston for the inauguration, said police advised her family not to wear their “Make America Great Again Hats” as they walked through crowds of protesters while playing tourist on Saturday. “I think it’s very oppressive,” she said of the march atmosphere. “They can have their day, but I don’t get it.” Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump, took to Twitter to thank the participants for “standing, speaking and marching for our values.” The marches displayed a level of enthusiasm that Clinton herself was largely unable to generate during her campaign against Trump, when she won the popular vote but he outdistanced her in the electoral vote. The hand-knit “pussyhats” worn by many women served as a message of female empowerment, inspired by Trump’s crude boast about grabbing women’s genitals. They “ain’t for grabbing,” actress Ashley Judd told the Washington crowd. The marches were a magnet for A-list celebrities, unlike Trump’s inauguration, which had a deficit of top performers. Alicia Keys sang “Girl on Fire” for the Washington crowd. Madonna gave a fiery, profanity-laced address to the gathering. Cher, also in the nation’s capital, said Trump’s ascendance has people “more frightened maybe than they’re ever been.” In Park City, Utah, it was Charlize Theron leading demonstrators in a chant of “Love, not hate, makes America great.” Actresses Helen Mirren and Cynthia Nixon and Whoopi Goldberg joined the crowd of protesters in New York. Demonstrators take part in the Women's March on London, following the Inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, in London, Saturday Jan. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland) Demonstrators take part in the Women’s March on London, following the Inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, in London, Saturday Jan. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland) Tens of thousands of protesters squeezed into London’s Trafalgar Square. In Paris, thousands rallied in the Eiffel Tower neighborhood in a joyful atmosphere, singing and carrying posters reading “We have our eyes on you Mr. Trump” and “With our sisters in Washington.” Hundreds gathered in Prague’s Wenceslas Square in freezing weather, mockingly waving portraits of Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. In Sydney, thousands of Australians gathered in solidarity in Hyde Park. One organizer said hatred, bigotry and racism are not only America’s problems. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
