Capitol Hill: What You Missed (Volume 19, Issue 4)

Two+women+protest+with+a+sign+saying+We+all+deserve+respect+and+a+leader+that+can+speak+in+complete+sentences%21+Over+150%2C000+protesters+took+to+the+streets+of+San+Francisco%2C+Oakland+and+San+Jose+for+the+Womens+March+2018.

Sahana Srinivasan

Two women protest with a sign saying “We all deserve respect and a leader that can speak in complete sentences!” Over 150,000 protesters took to the streets of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose for the Women’s March 2018.

by Aditya Singhvi, Reporter

Women’s marches took place in various United States cities on Jan. 20, the anniversary of the inauguration of President Trump.

These marches were intended to protest the Trump administration’s policies on a variety of issues, including women’s health, civil rights and social justice.

In the Bay Area, more than 150,000 women marched in the streets of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.

“A lot of people were wearing things like Planned Parenthood shirts or other Women’s March shirts from previous years,” Anusha Kuppahally (11), who attended the San Jose march, said. “A lot of the signs had to do with Trump or issues of inclusivity that are currently going on in our government.”

The march comes amid the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, which inspired many marchers to protest the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace. This year, there was an increased focus on voter registration and compelling more people to vote in the 2018 midterm elections through a movement called “Power to the Polls.”

“It’s called the Women’s March, but I think it encapsulates so much of what is on our minds as students and as citizens because it isn’t just about women; it’s about whoever faces oppression. It’s about how we need a radically progressive and all-inclusive agenda, and what we’re getting instead is a very quickly restrictive and a closed-minded one,” Haris Hosseini (11), who attended the march this year, said.

President Trump tweeted about the march, writing “Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!”

Trump gave his first State of the Union address last Tuesday, addressing all branches of government and the nation.

This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on February 5, 2018.