Women’s march forced to overcome many obstacles

WASHINGTON - For thousands of women across the country, the first Women's March on Washington was transformational.

Many who had never participated in a protest were thrust into the "resistance." Those who attended the 2017 rally called the crush of people who filled city streets inspiring, the energy electric. It pushed them to keep protesting, to write letters, make phone calls and register voters.

On Saturday at the third annual march, thousands of women are expected in Washington and other cities. But while organizers in the nation's capital wrote in a permit application that they expect a similar turnout experts say they expect a fraction of that number.

It's not unusual for social movements to have peaks and valleys. Off-years - like third anniversaries in non-election years - make it challenging to energize a base that has protested since President Donald Trump's inauguration, said Dana Fisher, a University of Maryland sociology professor who studies protests and social movements.

But the Women's March is up against more than just an off year.

Allegations of anti-Semitism, secretive financial dealings and disputes over who gets to own the Women's March have dogged organizers for months and led to calls for national co-chairs to resign.

Several high-profile supporters and progressive organizations declined to participate in the rally this year. Women who previously went out of their way to attend are opting to stay home and support independent groups. Jewish women remain torn about attending at all.

In cities like New York, Philadelphia and Washington, where groups wanted to separate from the national organization, there will be competing marches.

Women's March leaders on Saturday are expected to unveil a 10-prong political platform the organization has said will steer the group's focus. The agenda will pinpoint priorities, such as raising the federal minimum wage, addressing reproductive rights and violence against women, and passing the long-dormant Equal Rights Amendment, officials said.

To some, the plan to issue a legislative agenda crafted by the group speaks to the rift at the center of the women's movement: What began as a grass-roots collaboration by hundreds of distinct organizations and activists is defined by one group and its leadership team of four women - Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez and Linda Sarsour.

"There were over 600 marches, and they were all organized separately. We did the Women's March on Washington. That's it," said Vanessa Wruble, who helped organize the 2017 march and has started her own organization, March On. "It was always meant to be a movement, and I believe - and March On believes - that the best movements are run bottom-up, not top-down."

The accusation that the Women's March has not been inclusive enough has dogged the organization, particularly after Mallory posted images on social media of participation in a Nation of Islam event - including a photo of her next to Louis Farrakhan with a caption calling the Nation of Islam leader "the GOAT," or "greatest of all time." Though she has since condemned anti-Semitism, Mallory and her co-chairs have stopped short of disavowing Farrakhan or the Nation of Islam.

Credit: By Marissa J. Lang - The Washington Post

Caption: Marchers cheer during last year's march in Washington, D.C. Thousands are expected Saturday in Washington and other cities despite organizational disagreements.

Bill O'Leary/Washington Post