I have attended The Women’s March for the past two years, and have had this year’s march on my calendar since the day the date was announced. Attending The Women’s March in 2017 was my first real protest experience, and since then I’ve participated in rallies and protests on my college campus, as well as other nationally organized protests like March For Our Lives. I have had nothing but positive experiences at The Women’s March, and each year I have left feeling recharged, inspired and hopeful. That being said, going to a march or a protest of any kind can be stressful and overwhelming, so preparing is incredibly important. I put together a list of my tried and true safety tips, clothing recommendations, and poster ideas to get you ready for The Women’s March 2019.
Staying Safe
Use the buddy system. Never go to a march or a protest (or any large-scale gathering of people in a public place) alone!! It just isn’t smart. Make sure you go with at least one other person, and stick with that person throughout the day. ALSO be honest with your buddy! Not feeling safe? Feeling overwhelmed and want to march toward the outer endges of the group? Need food or water? Speak up. Being honest about how you’re feeling with your group will allow this to be the best experience possible for you. ALSO if your buddy speaks up, do what makes them feel most comfortable. If they want to leave, leave with them. If they need food, go with them. If they want to take a breather for a bit, sit with them. Stick together.
Choose a meeting place. Choose a central location (the steps of town hall, and exact street corner, a Starbucks a few blocks from the action) to meet in case you get separated from your group. This is especially important to set beforehand, as cell-service often goes out when there are mass amounts of people in the same place. Every year at the LA Women’s March I’ve struggled to send a text message to get in touch with people, so make sure you’re prepared in case anything goes wrong.
Know where you’re going. Look up where the march starts, the end point, and the route. Familiarize yourself with the area beforehand if you can, or screenshot a map before leaving. Know the closest public transportation spot or an easy Uber/Lyft pickup spot is also good to know before you leave for the day.
Pack smart. My little mini Fjallraven re-kanken backpack is a lifesaver for events like this: small enough to fit through crowds, and big enough to fit everything I need. Here are some things to pack: water (in a reusable bottle of course), snacks (granola bars, trail mix, dried fruit, anything with substance that could get you through the day), bandaids, a hair tie (if it’s warm where you are) or a winter hat (if it’s not), a portable charger (charged), and any medication you may need. Pro tip: do your feet tend to hurt after walking for a long time? Pack an extra pair of socks. Once your feet start to hurt, change your socks and your feet will feel brand new. This works wonders. Trust me.
Read up. Learn about the rules of your location-specific march. Do they allow backpacks? Can you bring an umbrella? Will there be bathrooms? Do they allow signs? How do they suggest you travel to the starting spot? Knowing all of this before arriving is key.
What To Wear
Dressing appropriately for a long event that takes place outdoors is ESSENTIAL. Don’t forgo a jacket just so your cool feminist tee can be seen. Layer up, look at the weather beforehand, and wear some shoes that are equally qualified for long distance walking and smashing the patriarchy. This all being said, the Women’s March is a great opportunity to wear something that gives back to organizations that are working tirelessly to empower women. If you’re new to my blog and this sounds cool check out my AC(TEE)VISM series. I’ve collected a few of my favorite brands selling feminist tees, pins, sweatshirts etc. that give back with every purchase, so we can be using our voice AND our dollars to demand and create change.
This tee is from Bulletin, a company I’ve talked quite a bit about on the blog & on Instagram. With each purchase, 10% of the proceeds are donated to Planned Parenthood NYC for things like gynecological exams, access to birth control, and colposcopy exams. I love this tee for the Women’s March, especially with it being right in the beginning new year. Bulletin also sells buttons, patches and pins, which would be perfect additions to jackets or hats in colder climates.
This “it’s my body, it’s my choice” tee is from The Outrage, but I purchased it previously from Bulletin. Proceeds from this tee benefit GEMS, or Girls Education & Mentoring Services, the “nation’s leading organization for empowering commercially sexually exploited and domestically trafficked girls and young women. Through cultural change, advocacy, training, and survivor leadership, GEMS is committed to shifting public perception and policy”. The Outrage also has a number of other, more politically charge tees, sweatshirts and accessories. This tee features a drawing of Dr. Blasey Ford and is focused on the power of voting: “100% of proceeds from this shirt [will be] donated to Senator Susan Collins’ opponent in the 2020 elections. If they don’t represent us, we will VOTE. THEM. OUT.”
Last year I wore my Everlane 100% Human tee to the Women’s March. The two collections they currently have available benefit the ACLU and Equality Now with every purchase.
Some other brands/items I love:
- This Madewell sweater donates 50% of the price of the item (so $44) to Girls Inc.
- Shrill Society: supports Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, She Should Run, the Houston Food Bank and more
- Feminist Apparel: supports A Call To Men, RAINN, Malala Fund, the ACLU and Hollaback!
- Femininitees: supports the National Organization for Women (NOW)
- The F Word Gift Shop: supports Planned Parenthood
- My Sister: supports organizations that fund job training and find employment opportunities for survivors of sexual exploitation
- The Phluid Project: I wrote about this amazing brand over the summer. They do not donate to a cause like the brands above, but the space they create as a gender-free store is important for this of our peers that identify as genderqueer. They have clothes that say “believe women”, “trans lives matter” and “2020 change is coming” that are all perfect for The Women’s March.
Poster Ideas
When creating your poster (and, like, in life in general) it’s important to remember to be inclusive. Trans women, women of color, and disabled women face significantly more discrimination that white women. Make sure you are marching for not just yourself, but for all women, and keep your signs in line with this. I’ve tried to keep these poster ideas as intersectional as possible, but am also constantly learning about what is/isn’t appropriate!!
ALSO: To keep your march as green as possible, reuse a piece of scrap cardboard for your poster, or repurpose a poser from last year’s march. If you have Amazon boxes lying around, cut up a piece of cardboard and DIY your own sign. Recycle your signs afterward if possible, or donate them to organizations who collect posters for museums at your local march. Not looking to get crafty? THIS website has a number of print out designs that are intersectional and beautiful. Print it out, use it for the march, and turn it into wall art afterward.
- Teach girls to be somebodies instead of somebody’s
- If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you are taking the side of the oppressor
- Sexism is not a side issue
- Support your sisters, not just your cis-ters
- “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own” – Audre Lorde
- Forward together
- Privilege is when you think something is not a problem because it’s not a problem to you personally
- Voting is my superpower
- I will no longer accept what I cannot change. I will change what I cannot accept
- Feminism is another word for equality
- Intersectional feminism is the only feminism
- Won’t stop until it rains glass
- The oceans are rising and so are we
- “No” – Rosa Parks
- I love naps but I stay woke
- Little sign, YUGE feminist
- Every great man got his start in a uterus
- “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Viagra is gov’t funded ($41.6 mil/year). If pregnancy is God’s will, so is limp dick (credit)
- The Handmaid’s Tale is not an instruction manual
- All of us or none of us
- Hell hath no fury like 157 million women scorned
- Too much injustice to fit on one sign
- There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise
- We have the right to be heard
- Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It’s not pie
- There is some good in this world and it’s worth fighting for
- Representation matters
- Join the resisterhood
- Respect my existence or expect my resistance
- Why be sexist, ableist, racist, homophobic, or transphobic when you could just be quiet?
I would by no means call myself an expert on marches (I’ve been to 4 total), and still have a lot to learn about my privilege as an able-bodied white woman, but I thought this post would serve as a great starting point for those of you preparing to attend The Women’s March this month. If you’re looking for more resources here are some of my favorites:
- Going To The Women’s March? Here’s What You Need To Know And Bring – HuffPost. This has especially good advice on your rights and what to do if you get stopped by police.
- How To Be An Intersectional Ally at The Women’s March – romper
- 11 Steps You NEED To Take Before Heading To The Women’s March On Washington – HelloGiggles
The Ultimate Guide to Preparing for the Women’s March – The Cut
6 Ways To Be A More Intersectional Feminist, Because Feminism Is All About Inclusion – Bustle
- The Women’s March official website