Nearly 200,000 people participated in \u201cSister\u2019s Marches\u201d in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose on Saturday, Jan. 21, supporting the Washington D.C. Women\u2019s March, according to Women\u2019s March Bay Area website.<\/p>\n
Olivia King, 25, majoring in medical assisting faced the rain to participate in the San Francisco\u2019s march.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are on a critical point of history,\u201d King said. “Women have always been underrepresented but what Trump says about women is disgusting and horrifying. Sexual assault is not normal. I want to be part of the voice of resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrea Silveira, 26, a liberal arts major flew with her parents and boyfriend to Washington D.C. to take part in the march.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was my first time in a plane,\u201d Silveira said. \u201cI decided to go because of the things Trump said about immigrants. It\u2019s not OK.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juan Palafox, 26, public relations major went to the San Jose march with his wife.<\/p>\n
“I believe women are not treated as equals to men,\u201d Palafox said. \u201cI will have a daughter some day and it would break my heart seeing her treated like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silveira said she felt empowered by the march.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the craziest thing I\u2019ve ever seen, it was amazing,\u201d Silveira said. \u201cThere were all ages, men, women, children, LGBTQ, people from all over.\u201d<\/p>\n
King said she had a similar experience in San Francisco.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really touched me,\u201d King said. \u201cI was scared about no men showing up but there was tons of men.\u201d<\/p>\n
In San Jose, Palafox said he felt such a positive energy.<\/p>\n
“There was so much creativity, people expressing their opinion as pieces of art,\u201d Palafox said. \u201cSo many people, it was impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The idea for the Women\u2019s March was born after Donald Trump won the presidential election Nov. 9 and the main march took place in Washington D.C. According to Bay Area organizers, 30,000 attended the march in San Jose.<\/p>\n
Jenny Bradinini, lead organizer for the Women\u2019s March in San Jose, said she wasn\u2019t expecting so many marchers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the beginning we thought that 5,000 people would be huge, we had no idea,” Bradinini said.<\/p>\n
Bradinini said she was nervous for her first time as a lead organizer in a rally but happy with the results.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the day, we were all floating in air,\u201d Bradinini said,\u201cit was a moment in history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Participants described the Women\u2019s March as safe and peaceful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve been to protests before but that one was very different, more diverse with different ethnicities and groups \u2026 I felt safer,\u201d King said. “And it seemed well-supported by the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silveira agreed, saying, “People were nice, polite. There wasn\u2019t any aggression by the police at all. The cops in D.C. were wearing pink hats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bradinini said it is because “the message was for something, not against, but also because women organized it. We had 75 peace ambassadors in San Jose, volunteering to keep the march peaceful. We trained 150 to non-violence.”<\/p>\n
Although the March was organized right after the Trump election, Bradinini wanted to clarify the purpose.<\/p>\n
“We tried to keep it nonpartisan, because whatever the government is, being here in solidarity with women is important. It is about women, not about Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palafox marched in the same spirit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe march went after the election, but it shouldn\u2019t be discredited, everything this rally stands for is still true,\u201d Palafox said. \u201cI try to stay away from that Trump thing, I went because of the women.”<\/p>\n
However, some people claimed their opposition to Trump.<\/p>\n
“The women\u2019s march was a direct response to Donald Trump. It took place on his first full day in office,\u201d King said. \u201cWelcome to your first day.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for their next steps, King and Silveira said they are very clear.<\/p>\n
“Resistance is my plan,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no sympathy for him, so I\u2019m going to get active,\u201d Silveira said. \u201cI joined a group on Facebook, Indivisible, and we are taking actions on the first 100 days\u201d.<\/p>\n
Bradinini is also part of the movement \u201c10 actions in 100 days\u201d and she said she will keep connecting people in California and nationally.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always tell my children,\u201d Bradinini said, \u201cif you think you\u2019re too small to make a difference, try sleeping with mosquitoes.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nearly 200,000 people participated in \u201cSister\u2019s Marches\u201d in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose on Saturday, Jan. 21, supporting the Washington D.C. Women\u2019s March, according to Women\u2019s March Bay Area website. Olivia King, 25, majoring in medical assisting faced the rain to participate in the San Francisco\u2019s march. \u201cWe are on a critical point of…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"staff_name":[682],"class_list":["post-11365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","staff_name-anne-caillat"],"yoast_head":"\n