Women of all ages across the country are on strike today in protest of president-elect Donald Trump's misogyny, racism, and overall bigotry. Skipping school or work to take to the streets, women and their allies are taking a stand against Trump's hate in major cities across the United States, including New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, and Columbus.
Protesters participating in the strike are also refraining from spending money Monday. The strike is an effort to show the economic power of gender equality advocates who are ready to resist Trump under the group Women and Allies Against Trump. Each city has its own organizing Facebook page, and the New York group alone has nearly 6,000 people who have RSVP's that they will attend.
Ann Massaro, a longtime activist who co-organized the walkout for Dec. 12 told The Cut that when Trump got elected, she felt she had to act. "When we elected a sexual predator to the White House, I was given a message on that day that as a woman I am not safe in this country," Massaro said. "For women of color, that threat is doubled, tripled. That was it for me. I just knew that I couldn’t sit here and do nothing."
68-year-old Massaro worked closely with New York University senior Isabella Gutierrez, who took the lead on the New York strike and protest, according to The Cut. "I’m not going to let this happen. And I’m going to let everybody know that I’m not going to let this happen. As a Latina woman, I was angry and scared and saddened and I wasn’t going to just stand still," Gutierrez told The Cut.
Organized strikes are being held in 18 cities. Courtesy of The Cut:
- Los Angeles, California
- Oakland, California
- Santa Barbara, California
- San Francisco, California
- Denver, Colorado
- New Haven, Connecticut
- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
- Boston, Massachusetts
- New York City, New York
- Sag Harbor, New York
- Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Columbus, Ohio
- Portland, Oregon
- Lehigh Valley/Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
- Bastrop County, Texas
- Dallas, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- Seattle, Washington
With only a few weeks left until Trump is sworn in as president-elect, organized political action such as the Women and Allies strike is becoming ever the more necessary.
