The Women’s March on Washington is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 21 following the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, with 600 ‘sister marches’ scheduled for the same day across the globe.
According the main event’s Facebook page, more than 200,000 people are expected to protest in Washington, D.C., with ‘sister marches’ attracting more than one million.
National ‘sister march’ spokesperson Yordanos Eyoel told The Huffington Post, “This is a global movement,” and it would be a mistake to overlook the hundreds of marches planned across the nation and on six continents.
Some of the largest marches planned outside of Washington are in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, and Austin. Internationally, there are 55 marches planned in cities like Nairobi, Paris and Sydney.
The march in Birmingham, Alabama, will begin at the 16th Street Baptist Church, an icon of the civil rights era that was recently declared a national monument by President Barack Obama.
The event, which is focused on taking a “stand on social justice and human rights issues ranging from race, ethnicity, gender, religion, immigration and healthcare,” emerged from a grassroots effort, however, it is now supported by organizations like The Arab American Association of New York, The National Action Network, The Gathering for Justice and Planned Parenthood.
Feminist leader Gloria Steinem and Harry Belafonte are both serving as honorary co-chairs of the march, while prominent Washington march-goers include Danielle Brooks, Uzo Aduba, Danai Gurira, Margo Jefferson and Angelique Kidjo, who all vow to attend.
“This is a call to action to people across this country and around the world who believe in the same mission and principles,” march organizer Eyoel said.
