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Saturday will mark the second anniversary (and technically the third occasion) of the Women's March, which first took place in 2017 following Trump's inauguration. In the last two years, the Women's March initiative has grown in scope and brought millions of women together to make political change — but it's not been without controversy. Regardless of where you stand on the event, there are a number of 2019 Women's March alternatives happening that'll inspire you to create change.
The Women's March on Washington, which is using the hashtag #WomensWave, will take place in Washington D.C., on Jan. 19 at 10 a.m. Tons of sister marches are happening across the country, too. But several marches around the country have been canceled this year for various reasons — for reasons ranging from a lack of volunteers to concerns about the controversy, which included claims of anti-Semitism from several co-chairs of the national organization. In response to Bustle's request for comment, the Women's March pointed to previous statements posted on its website, including one that stated, "Women’s March is committed to fighting all forms of oppression as outlined in our Unity Principles. We will not tolerate anti-Semitism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia and we condemn these expressions of hatred in all forms."
No matter where you are or what you believe about the current Women's March organization, there are plenty of ways in which you can enact positive change for your community on Jan. 19. Here are just a few ideas:
Organize A Book Club That Prioritizes Diverse Female Voices
Instead of just spending your Saturday thinking of what you can do in the moment, you can spend the day mapping out activities that reinforce and encourage discourse in your daily life. For example, you can get some of your friends together and swap reading lists or create a book club, one that prioritizes marginalized voices, including disabled women and women of color.
The Rise And Resist Gathering In New York City
Per The New York Times, activist group Rise and Resist is holding an informal event for people with disabilities as well as their supporters starting at 2 p.m. ET in the main hall of Grand Central Station on Saturday in New York City.
Rise and Resist supports the Women's March, the Times reports, and has scheduled the event time so that anyone who wants to can participate in the march, and then come to the Rise and Resist event after.
Donate To Organizations With Similar Goals
If you have the means and feel comfortable with donating to an organization, there are a number of worthy causes that you can support. Some pro-women organizations include The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Emily's List, Lambda Legal, The National Center for Transgender Equality, and more.
To read up on other organizations worth supporting (whether financially or with your time and efforts), you can check out this list of trans rights organizations, this list of organizations led by women of color, or this list of general women's rights organizations.
Chicago's "Operation Activism Day"
In lieu of a standard Women's March on Saturday, Chicago Women's March has announced an alternative for any activists looking to make a difference in the world on Saturday: Operation Activism Day encourages people in the Chicago area to "take ownership of their activism," per its Facebook page.
Women's March Chicago wrote in part of the initiative, "We are asking our marchers to ... organize or participate in actions that help people in their communities feel safe, included, respected and represented."
Of course, you don't have to live near Chicago to follow this suggestion; you can do it anywhere. If you do live in the Chicago area, though, you can check out the list of crowdsourced initiatives that are already being planned for Saturday.
A California Event Planned For The Spring
If you live on the west coast and can't attend a march on Saturday, you might consider attending a later event being planned in Eureka, California, for March 9.
The event will "place Indigenous women, LGBTQ+ women, and women of color front and center in the planning and on the day of the event," according to the Women's March Eureka Facebook page, which is planning the event.
Call Your Representatives
Women's March Alliance Events Around The Country
The Women's March Alliance, which is independent from Women's March, Inc., is planning a number of events across the country, and you can check them all out via this handy interactive map. Specifically, the group was formed by activists looking to emphasize a more inclusive mission for marginalized and minority communities, according to The New York Times.
Share Information On Social Media
It doesn't matter which issue you want to talk about. Using your social media accounts to share information can be an extremely powerful strategy to enact change on a number of topics. If you want to support your local march, you can use social media as a call to action for your friends, providing information to them about how to show up and support the movement.
If you'd rather not focus on the march explicitly, you can pick a topic you care about (for example: reproductive rights, gun control legislation, or immigration law) and share a piece of data on the topic to your followers.
Find An Event Through The March On Organization
The March On organization, similar to the Women's March Alliance, is "women-led, but open to all, and will employ a sophisticated political strategy to coordinate concrete actions at the federal, state, and local level through the joint efforts of millions of marchers," according to its site.
March On offers an interactive map page that allows you to see all of its affiliated events that are taking place on Jan. 19, if you would like to get involved.
No matter what you do or where you are in the world, you can take part in the general sentiment on Saturday. All you need is the desire to enact change in the community around you.
