'She the people' movement has launched

The column below was published earlier today in the Finger Lakes Times newspaper in Geneva, New York.

A direct link to the column in the newspaper can be accessed by clicking here: Write On column.

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'She the People' movement has launched

By Michael J. Fitzgerald,

Finger Lakes Times columnist 

The word “historic” gets thrown around way too often.

But last Saturday’s Women’s Marches — held in hundreds of U.S. cities, and in cities across Europe, onward to Asia and the South Pacific — earned that appellation.

Decidedly.

If you were one of the millions of women and men marching on the streets in Seneca Falls, Albany, Ithaca, New York City, Washington D.C. or anywhere else, it’s likely you will long remember what you heard, saw — and felt.

It was an emotional day for the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets to protest the election of Donald Trump and to show their rejection of his mixed bag of announced regressive policies.

Fitzgerald

Events were punctuated by speeches (ranging from fiery to tearful), inspirational chants, music and amazingly clever signs, banners and costumes.

And every march/demonstration featured an ocean of pink pussy-eared hats, a visible slap aimed at the demonstrated misogyny of the new U.S. president.

While it would be easy to focus on the sheer numbers of people as a measurement — the usual historical yardstick — the history more likely to be remembered in coming decades (and perhaps commemorated one day) will pinpoint Jan. 21, 2017 as the historic day an unlikely coalition of political, social and cultural entities set aside their differences and came together.

It was amazing to witness.

Environmentalists, women’s rights groups, ethnic and immigration organizations, labor unions, the young, the old, the gay, the straight, families — even police and fire fighters in a some places — stood shoulder-to-shoulder in a demonstration of support for progressive ideas. Progressive ideas like support for human rights, environmental rights, immigration rights, workers’ rights ...

Not radical ideas at all.

There also was plenty of disdain for the dark, isolationist vision of the nation Trump sketched in his brief inaugural address the day before.

This coalition is unlike any other witnessed in decades, united in solid rejection of Trump’s oft-stated, short-on-detail campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

Many of the speeches at the marches — and letters to the editor and op-ed articles published in the days since — heartily promote the idea that America is a great nation right now. But that greatness can only be maintained — and made stronger — by encouraging racial harmony, welcoming immigrants, considering progressive ideas and respecting the environment, all concepts generally rejected by Trump.

Since the Women’s Marches, pundits quickly started bleating that it’s a long way from organizing marches and protests — even ones as massive and international in scope as Saturday’s — to effecting true political change.

They have a point.

It will be hard and often heartbreaking work.

But among the shouts, chants, speeches and songs there was plenty of dialogue among participants in the marches about the need to organize, to elect candidates to office at every level and to use every political and social lever available to ensure that America doesn’t slide into a Trump-induced dystopia.

Ironically, the best salesmen for political change will likely be the new president and the Republican majorities in both houses of Congress.

Already there is a fast-rising tide of citizen consternation over the proposed dismantling of the Affordable Care Act — aka Obamacare — as citizens watch as Trump and complicit GOP legislators prepare to strip more than 20 million Americans of health care coverage.

If you add in the specter of GOP schemes to drastically slash Social Security and Medicare benefits you have a trifecta of clumsy, backward thinking that should horrify voters and perhaps promote a political revolution.

Several newspapers' front pages last Sunday featured photos of the march with a huge headline, “She the People.”

Historic. That’s the right word for it. And perhaps the right leadership too.

Fitzgerald worked for six newspapers as a writer and editor as well as a correspondent for several news services. He splits his time between Valois, NY and Pt. Richmond, Calif. You can email him at Michael.Fitzgeraldfltcolumnist@gmail.com and visit his website at michaeljfitzgerald.blogspot.com.