Inauguration of the movement against Trump and for Justice

[Skabungus]

I did not attend the marches.  I was in a media blackout with 50 odd Girl Scouts in the middle of the woods in central Michigan.  It was nice to have a break from the constant buzz and to spend time with my daughter and her little friends.  

I however have marched many times.  In the 1980's I was an organizer for the marches against apartheid and on human rights in Central America, so I am quite familiar with the process of organizing, staging and then the after effects of such happenings.

I am seeing the steady stream of right wing dismissals of the march, discounting the event, writing it off as a waste of time.  I expect that.  Even lefties who have never participated in such events tend to discount them as a flash in the pan, and ask "what now?".  I contend such folks are totally missing the point.

Certainly the impact of a national (and in this case global) march of this magnitude makes a clear statement on what the participants think of the current state of affairs.  The fact that so many showed should make clear that the right wing agenda has some vocal critics, willing to put their feet where their feelings are.  They made a statement, they made a mark, and policy makers have no choice but to acknowledge their existence.  Still, that is not the point, or even close to the total value impact of the march.

Marches bring thousands of people together for a shared common experience that serves to galvanize their beliefs, solidify their political stance and accelerate their activism.  In reality marches are like giant organizing meetings wherein people make connections; discuss and refine positions; share organizing tips; expand and diversify their networks; gain strategies; gain power; give support and on and on.  Marches are not only a marker of public opinion at a point in time, they are even more so a point of departure from which a movement grows.  They represent the beginnings, not the end.

In the 1980's I learned more about becoming a good organizer by standing with a sign in the freezing rain, than I had ever learned working with my local group.  I met hundreds of people that were so unlike me, and ended up making them my friends and allies.  I would never have imagined I'd become life long friends with an Episcopal priest, or an Columbian accountant, but we are friends and organizers to this day.   Marches galvanize people to causes.  Marches increase the organizing, networking and movement making capacity of all involved.  

In the 1980's we had to use pay phones and walkie talkies, and Kodak cameras.  We wrote letters and mailed them, and we lobbied our politicians in person.  We were effective and we were successful.  Modern connectivity brought about by the digital age will make exponential improvements in movement making.

Those who state that marches are pointless, miss the point entirely.  Marches are the planting ground of movements.  As such they are made up of many things the full spectrum of which will only be known in the future.

The fuse is lit.  Thanks ladies.