Thousands from state plan to attend women’s march in D.C.

Jan. 08--BOSTON -- Diane Huster protested in the early 1980s when the Equal Rights Amendment died without enough support, and now she's planning to protest again on behalf of women.

Huster said she was appalled by Republican President-elect Donald Trump's demeaning campaign rhetoric that singled out women and minorities. She said she worries that his presidency will set back years of progress on women's rights.

"It's very troubling," said Huster, 72, a North Andover activist who supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 presidential election. "I didn't think we would ever go back to the years when women faced sexual discrimination. But here we are -- three steps forward, two steps back."

Huster is among thousands of women who plan to converge on Boston Common for a Jan. 21 march, the day after Trump's inauguration. The event is one of dozens planned throughout the country to coincide with a larger march in Washington, D.C.

"We can't let anyone take away rights we fought for," said Huster, who said she would be going to Washington if she could. "There's too much at stake."

More than 200,000 people are expected to join the Women's March on Washington, including an estimated 8,500 from Massachusetts, according to organizers.

Moulton hires train car

Congressman Seth Moulton, D-Salem, who plans to march in the Washington event, has chartered an Amtrak train car for about 70 people traveling to the Beltway for the protests. A spokeswoman for Moulton said the $150 round-trip tickets sold out quickly.

Elaine Almquist, 32, of North Andover, has organized charter buses from Newburyport, Gloucester, Salem and Lawrence to the Washington march, carrying about 500 people.

"The rhetoric we heard in the election demonstrated how fragile the rights are that women have fought for," she said. "We want to make a bold statement that we will be pushing for equality."

At least 60 buses with more than 3,000 demonstrators are expected to travel from Massachusetts to Washington for the march, according to Tami Gouveia, lead organizer for state chapter of the Women's March. The group raised more than $13,000 to help cover transportation costs. Other participants will travel by planes, trains and private vehicles, she said.

"The response has been overwhelming," Gouveia said. "Some women are marching to uphold equal rights, others are concerned about health care, the environment and reproductive rights."

The event is being compared by some to the August 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

Demonstrators this time are barred from gathering at several landmarks, including the Lincoln Memorial. Instead they will march down Independence Avenue to the Washington Monument, where activists and representatives of social justice groups are expected to address the crowds.

The idea for the march was hatched by Teresa Shook, a retired attorney from Hawaii who invited friends to protest Trump's victory. Her post went viral on the pro-Clinton Facebook group Pantsuit Nation and other social media sites, and the event quickly evolved into a larger march.

Teaching her granddaughter

Deborah Schildkraut, 67, of Boxford, is taking her daughter-in-law and 10-year-old granddaughter to the Washington march.

"When I was growing up in the '50s and '60s, I remember people telling me what I couldn't do because I was a woman," she said. "I want my granddaughter to know that she can do anything."

Organizers insist the march is not an anti-Trump event, but instead responds to his comments during the campaign about women, minorities and other groups. Men are also participating.

"This is really more of a statement about what kind of country we want to be, and what kind of society we want to live in," Gouveia said. "We want to move forward, not backwards."

A former insurance saleswoman, Huster recalls being passed over by employers in the 1960s and '70s for commissions and promotions, which instead went to men. She didn't became politically active until the 1980s, when she went to Washington to protest the failure to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which sought to guarantee equal treatment for women.

She hopes younger generations won't become complacent and will "keep fighting the good fight."

"In my life I've experienced all kinds of sexual discrimination, from what kinds of jobs I could get to how I was paid," she said. "We've come a long way."

To be sure, there has been criticism of the march over the racial makeup of event organizers, many of whom are white.

African American women have voiced disapproval over a suggested name for the event, Million Women March, which echoed the 1997 black women's march in Philadelphia.

Trump ready to listen?

A Trump spokesman has said the president-elect wants to hear from women who are heading to Washington to bring attention to their issues, urging them to "celebrate" his win.

"We hope some will come to D.C. and change their minds instead of protest," Boris Epshteyn, director of communications for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, told CNN.

Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican who didn't support Trump's candidacy, will be attending the inauguration with other state officials and party members. He hasn't said whether he'll participate in the women's march.

MassGOP Chairwoman Kirsten Hughes said she hopes protesters "channel their energy into working with the new administration to solve problems for the American people."

"As prominent Democrats and Republicans have made clear, the inaugural should be a time where Americans come together to respect the office of the president and look forward with optimism to the future," she said in a statement.

More than half of women voted for Clinton in the divisive presidential election, according to exit polls.

Trump was criticized by women's groups during his campaign for lewd comments he made and accusations of sexual assault and harassment. He has denied the claims.

Huster said she views the marches as the beginning of an organized opposition to Trump's presidency.

"We're not giving up any ground," she said. "We going to fight him every step of the way."

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for The Eagle-Tribune and its sister newspapers and websites. Email him at [email protected].

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