On January 21st, three million people across the globe — a majority of whom were women — took to the streets. A response to the election of Donald Trump, the initial Women’s March was set to take place in Washington, but sister marches spread across the globe. It turned out to be the largest demonstration in U.S. history.
While the organizers faced many critiques — some valid, some less so — the event was decidedly powerful.
In this episode, I speak with Lee Lakeman, who attended Vancouver’s sister March, to hear more about her perspective and experience of the event, her reflections on some of the critiques made, and to find direction on what can and should come next.
Lee has been a feminist activist for 40 years, fighting men’s violence against women. She has spent her adult life building the independent women’s movement in alliances against patriarchy, including capitalism and racism/imperialism. Lee is currently writing a history of the work of the women at Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter in resistance to patriarchy.
An upcoming event featuring Chris Hedges and Suzanne Jay, “After Trump and Pussy Hats,” will continue the conversation about next steps. The event will take place on Friday, March 3, 2017, at 6:30PM, at St Andrew’s-Wesley Church.