The Women’s March Is Just The Beginning: The Next Steps You Can Take

The Women’s March on Washington and around the world was a record breaker after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. That doesn’t mean it’s far from over, though. Activists and protestors have now been wondering what the next steps are for fighting Trump and his administration.

“This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up,” the Women’s March mission statement reads.

It already has been doing just that, reports Salon. Anti-Trump protests are still being organized across the country. There have also been protests for Trump’s executive order on refugees and his attempts to reverse abortion-related U.S. policy. In addition, there has been an increase in donations to Planned Parenthood and the ACLU.

“[T]here was no shortage of organizing – small-group organizing, large-group organizing mass organizing – taking place on Saturday, and every day following,” Adele Stan said at the Prospect. “Connections made between activists from across the country in these spaces are likely to last and flourish, especially in the age of social media.”

“This is only day one in our united movement,” actress America Ferrara stated at the Women’s March on Washington. She asked protestors to “take out your cellphone and text ‘women’ to 40649 … so that we can continue to work together.”

The “10 Actions for the first 100 Days” campaign will end with an April 30 march in Lansing and other statewide cities, notes the Detroit Free Press. Event organizers unveiled the campaign last week, with an effort to keep those who participated and supported the march focused on activism in the first 100 days during Trump’s administration.

“Now is not the time to hang up our marching shoes,” the Women’s March website read. “It’s time to get our friends, family, and community together and make history.”

The first action is that supporters write letters to their senators and representatives in Congress and to make it clear where they stand on the issues that matter to them most. Organizers have also provided downloadable and printable postcards online. They also urge protestors to take photos of their cards and share them on social media with the hashtag, #WhyIMarch. More actions will be unveiled every 10 days of the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency. The next action will be revealed within the next week.

Protestors have also been told to call their senators and representatives in Congress, as it is sometimes more effective than sending a letter. For those who are anxious about calling their senators, they should make it a regular routine.

“I had personally never called my congressmen and senators before,” said Phoebe Hopps, the Michigan coordinator for the Women’s March. “It makes sense, especially calling Republican leaders and letting them know how important the Affordable Care Act is to your family, especially for those with pre-existing conditions. “As Michael Moore said during the rally, call your government. It should be routine as brushing your teeth.”

And anti-Trump protestors have headed back to JFK, SFO, Logan, and many other major airports across the country today. Thousands of protestors are at airports nationwide to voice their opposition to Trump’s ban on refugees from entering the United States. By late morning, 200 protesters have already gathered at the airport, holding signs and chanting in the international terminal, reports the Mercury News.

Our march forward does not end here. Join us in launching a new campaign: 10 Actions for the first 100 Days https://t.co/kdxDJyAU8i pic.twitter.com/OouHIARogQ

— Women's March (@womensmarch) January 22, 2017

The protests have taken place since news of Trump’s executive order that bans entry to the U.S. from certain Muslim-majority countries have become the main focus of the news. Authorities and lawmakers are currently scrambling to make sense of his administration’s immigration policies, which have provoked anger and confusion across the world.

A federal judge issued an emergency order that stopped U.S. border agents from detaining new arrivals who carried a valid visa named in Trump’s order. It also covered anyone with an approved refugee application. Still, there are some being detained at airports and there is still confusion about how the refugee ban will roll out in the coming days since the judge’s order is only temporary. Sometimes just speaking out and protesting is enough to make lawmakers, and hopefully, the government to do something.

[Featured Image by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images]