Jan 22, 2017During a time of extreme partisanship and division—a time in which the One America the now-former president once spoke of can seem an ever-more-distant possibility—the Women’s March played out as a kind of alternate-reality inauguration: not necessarily of Hillary Clinton, but of the ideas and ideals her candidacy represented.
↩︎ The Atlantic
The Women's March was one for the ages. Where will it go next?
A brief history of America's marches makes the media look a touch pessimistic.
MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell does a short history of inauguration protests to explain why the Women's March was so significant. "The American news media was not exactly filled with predictions of the protests' future successes."
Republicans are filing laws in five states that would ban peaceful protests from the streets.
In North Dakota, the proposed law would open big loopholes for drivers who strike protesting pedestrians. Other states have considered "economic terrorism" charges and other anti-picketing measures, all part of a targeted response to Black Lives Matter and anti-pipeline activists successfully blocking roadways.
Marching was easy. Translating momentum into political action is the hard part.
There's a good reason Dr. King's last book was called Where Do We Go From Here? As every good organizer knows, follow-up is one of the hardest parts of activism. And after the success of Saturday's march, there are lots of questions about where that momentum goes next.
While some see parallels with Russia's anti-Putin protests that went nowhere, organizations are already looking to skill up enthusiastic volunteers. "Organizations need to be ready to receive the protesters when they’re ready to take the next step."
Saturday's marches by the numbers.
21: Renditions of "Happy Birthday" sung by protesters to a policewoman serving on her special day.
6: Age of Sofie Cruz, immigration activist who melted hearts and called for all to "fight with love, faith, and courage."
3: Times larger the crowd was on Saturday than Friday in Washington, according to crowd experts.
430,000: More Metro trips taken on Saturday than Friday in Washington.
-20: Degrees Fahrenheit in Fairbanks, where 2,000 marched.
5: Million people estimated to participate worldwide.
32: Trump's approval rating at the time of the march.
Jan 23, 2017Demonstrations are most effective when they have a tangible goal, and organizers must be flexible in adapting tactics to the requirements and constraints of a situation.
↩︎ Jacobin
The march really was historically big, but history also shows numbers don't guarantee success.
An examination of marches in American history reveals a mixed record of success, often delayed. It took 20 years to see any results from the massive 1987 gay rights march, for example.
Here's a neat map of marches, protests, and rallies that have taken place in Washington over the past century, that gives some context on size. The March on Washington was smaller than Saturday's march, while the Million Man March was bigger.
The Editors' Longreads Picks
- An excellent essay on poverty and writing by Starr Davis. Updated May 31, 2022
- Novelist Héctor Tobar tries to understand the 1992 Los Angeles riots through the experiences of a single high school.
- Steven Johnson with a long assessment of the current state of A.I. and language. (The illusion has gotten very good.)
Welcome to The Morning News Tournament of Books, 2017 edition.
- Our championship match is decided in the Tournament of Books, with news of a Rooster surprise debuting this summer. Updated Mar 31, 2017
- In Thursday's action, Reyhan Harmanci sets up a colossal final.
- The Zombie round opens with Buzzfeed's Isaac Fitzgerald reading The Nix and The Underground Railroad.
Все ваши Белый дом принадлежит нам.
- "Will Putin expose the failings of American democracy or will he inadvertently expose the strength of American democracy?" Updated Mar 3, 2017
- Wilbur Ross just wanted to make some money in ethically gray areas (that should've prevented him from taking office).
- Jeff Sessions's spokeswoman can't help but continue to lie.
The oceans are under assault, and not just from the White House and friends.
- Trump's assault on the environment begins with American headwaters. Updated Mar 1, 2017
- Don't just blame the oil companies for destroying the oceans—blame sushi restaurants.
- Nothing escapes the deepest trenches of the ocean floor. Not light, not nutrients, not pollutants.