When an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 women march in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21 — Donald Trump’s first day in office as president of the United States — Victoria Coun. Marianne Alto will be among them.
“For me it’s actually more of a celebration,” said Alto, who was involved in the women’s movement from the 1970s through the 1990s.
Alto is taking the trip on her own initiative and is not travelling on behalf of the city nor with city financing.
She said she “values the opportunity” of simply being a part of such a gathering.
Organizers maintain the march is not designed to be an anti-Trump rally but is a response to many of the comments about women, minorities and other groups that made headlines during the presidential campaign.
“I’m sure there are going to be some people who are marching against things, not the least of which is the new president, as he will be by then, but that’s not why I’m going,” Alto said.
“I don’t feel it’s appropriate to comment on another country’s politics. For me, it’s more about being part of what I think is going to be quite an extraordinary event which really celebrates the ability of communities to come together and make change.”
Alto said she has long fought to make sure society is more equal, more inclusive and more fair.
“I’m certainly not going there at all, at all, at all with my civic hat on. I’m going there as a person whose whole life, really, has been shaped by a struggle to make sure communities are more equal,” she said.
Alto sees it as important to “take up the challenge of making sure that progressive people continue to work for the betterment of the community.”
This march, as large as it is projected to be, was born almost by accident.
When it became clear Trump was going to win the election, grandmother and retired attorney Teresa Shook dashed off a Facebook post asking what would happen if women marched en masse on Washington.
The idea quickly picked up steam.
So far, more than 150,000 women and men have indicated on the Women’s March on Washington Facebook page that they plan to attend. Dozens of groups, including Planned Parenthood and anti-war NGO Code Pink, have signed on as partners.
While many are, like Alto, attending as individuals and making their own way to Washington, hundreds more will board buses. Various organizations have chartered buses for women from Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Windsor, Ont., and other Canadian cities.
