Millions across the country gathered together to protest in the Women’s March on Saturday, January 21, in what is one of the biggest demonstrations in American History. Over 200,000 people alone gathered on the Boston Commons to show unity after the previous day’s inauguration of President Donald Trump.
While estimates are still coming in from all over the country, data from University of Connecticut professor Jeremy Pressman, and University of Denver professor Erica Chenoweth show that over 3.5 million people all over the U.S. participated in the event. Every state in the country hosted a Women’s March, but the cities with the biggest number of participants were Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston, Seattle, Chicago, and New York City.
The tone of the Women’s marches were peaceful. The website of the Boston Women’s March declares a mission statement that says, “We will unite in Boston to march in solidarity with communities most affected by the hate, intolerance and acts of violence being perpetrated throughout the nation.” The site states that those communities include women, immigrants, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities.
A variety of celebrities and public figures came out in support of the Women’s Marches. In Boston, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren made an appearance to give a speech. Washington had performances and speeches from the likes of Gloria Steinem, America Ferrera, Scarlett Johansson, and Janelle Monae. Many others showed support through simply attending, such as Katy Perry, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Miley Cyrus, Emma Watson, Tyler Oakley, and Rihanna.
The marches remained peaceful throughout the country without a single person getting arrested in Washington. Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said in a statement on Saturday that he was “really impressed with the amount of respect and courtesy shown to my officers by everybody attending today’s Women’s March and I’d just like to personally thank everybody who demonstrated in a peaceful, polite and respectful manner.”
There were multiple ENC students who attended Boston’s Women’s March. Sophomore Becky Hay said she enjoyed her experience, and that, “it was inspiring to see so many different people come together and support not only each other, but the overall movement of what is right.”
Overall, with current estimates, about 1 in every 100 Americans attended a Women’s March in one of the 500 cities participating. Support also came in from around the world, with participants from Australia, England, Canada, and Norway, to name a few.