BY CAMILLA MORTENSEN
MILLIONS OF WOMEN
MARCHED, NOW WHAT?
WOMEN’S MARCHERS IN
PINK PUSSYHATS RALLY
IN WASHINGTON DC THE
DAY
AFTER
TRUMP’S
INAUGURATION
PHOTO: AUDREY BLACK
O
n Jan. 21, a sea of pink pussyhats and vibrant
signs promoting women’s rights and denouncing
President Donald Trump swelled across the na-
tion. Cries of “We need a leader! Not a creepy
tweeter!” and “This is what Democracy looks
like” echoed in the streets as the Women’s March surged
beyond expectations.
In Eugene, estimates from the police and marchers
ranged from 7,000 to 10,000 participants. Nationwide, re-
searchers from the universities of Connecticut and Den-
ver, who are collecting data on the marchers, lowballed the
numbers at about 3.2 million with a possible high of 4.7
million.
That’s a lot of pussyhats. So what do you do with all
that energy? What are the next steps?
Rep. Peter DeFazio, who was at the Eugene sister
march, calls the Women’s March “the largest peaceful po-
litical demonstration in history.” He tells EW: “This cam-
paign season was incredibly divisive, but a positive out-
come that I noticed immediately is an increased level of
engagement.” He says that hundreds of people told him,
“I haven’t ever really been involved before, but now I will
be.”
Newly elected Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis spoke at the
Eugene march. She says that nationally and statewide, de-
spite being a blue state with an active Democratic Party,
“we still have work to do in terms of who we are reaching,”
and points to the upcoming midterm elections.
Oregon’s two senators are Democrats, and in the House
only one of Oregon’s five representatives, Greg Walden,
is a Republican. The national Women’s March in its “10
Actions for the Next 100 Days” suggests starting off by
sending postcards to your senators “about what matters
most to you.”
Another resource being shared among marchers on so-
cial media is Swing Left, a website launched in the wake
of the 2016 election that encourages progressives to find
their closest swing districts and join their teams “to learn
about actionable opportunities to support progressives —
and defeat Republicans — in that district, no matter where
you live.” (According to the site, the closest swing district
to EW’s 97401 zip code is California’s 7th Congressional
District, near Sacramento.)
Vinis, as a new mayor, also encourages working at the
very local level. She points out that populations across the
nation are concentrated in cities, and cities “really turn the
direction of our nation.”
A local example of a movement creating change at the
city level is Emily Semple of Occupy Eugene, who was
elected to the Ward 1 Eugene City Council seat in November.
6
January 26, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
Vinis also calls for community members to step up and
join one of an array of city commissions. According to a
recent press release from the city, seven commissions are
looking for members, from the police Civilian Review
Board to the Human Rights Commission and the Toxics
Board.
Vinis says, “We need a diversity of opinions, people of
color, more women.” She says ideally a broad spectrum of
applicants would also include better geographic represen-
tation across the city.
She says that human rights, the environment, economic
justice and women’s reproductive rights are all things “we
work on here in Eugene,” so she encourages people to also
look to nonprofits that address their concerns.
DeFazio echoes that sentiment, advising, “Do some re-
search and identify a group that is aligned with your values
— add your support to their efforts.” He adds, “Dedicated
volunteers are the most valuable resource for a community
organization or political campaign. A powerful and orga-
nized volunteer force is the most effective way to target
issues and implement change.”
Community activist Misa Joo, who is a third generation
Japanese-American and a tribal member of the Winnemem
Wintu Tribe of Northern California and was part of the Eu-
gene Women’s March, writes in a call to action on Face-
book: “Next Black Lives Matter rally, 15,000 of us show
up.”
Joo cites both local and national issues, from tribal con-
cerns at Standing Rock over water protection at the Dakota
Access Pipeline to Warm Springs and local efforts to stop
mining at TV Butte in Oakridge.
Citing the large numbers that turned out at the march-
es, Joo says that those numbers can be turned not just to
marches but to passing bonds and tax levies that keep “hu-
man support going for people who need it in these hard
times” when Trump “thinks only about cutting taxes for his
cronies and has derision for the People.”
Joo calls in her post to “prove our democracy with our
feet, our hands, our heart and our voices. Move this gov-
ernment, bulky, weighed down and rigged as it is, with the
unity of our aspirations until it’s real.”
For “10 Actions for the First 100 Days” go to womensmarch.com/100. For a
roundup of local nonprofits to give your time, energy and money to, check out
EW’s Give Guide at bit.ly/2koVe1S and go to swingleft.org to find a swing dis-
trict near you to help change the midterm elections.