Thousands flock to Women’s March in Washington, D.C. and cities across the U.S.

Still Fighting for Women’s Equal Rights: Three Years Later, a Rally at Freedom Plaza

On Saturday, thousands mobilized across America as a part of the Women’s March movement amid a global pandemic even in the nation’s capital.

In 2017, the first Women’s March occurred shortly after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The Women’s March became a national movement, a tradition that had been kept each year after the initial one.

Despite a global pandemic, this year is still no exception. In the nation’s capital, women and men stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder with masks on to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A rally had been held in Freedom Plaza, just a few blocks away from the U.S. Capitol building that can be seen from the distant horizon.

Activists made their motivations for taking risks out in public abundantly clear.

It was always about calling a referendum on President Donald Trump and his Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett, according to Sunsara Taylor, a co-initiator of Refuse Fascism, a national grassroots movement dedicated to dethroning Trump and Vice President Mike Pence ahead of this election.

“We’re here to stand up today against the Trump-Pence regime, against their ramming through of the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett and we’re here to organize people who came out to the Women’s March to recognize the need that we need to stay in the streets,” Taylor exclusively told FingerLakes1.com.

Refuse Fascism has been mobilizing in Washington, D.C. for quite some time and recently appeared at the vigil for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Taylor noted that Refuse Fascism has been overseeing their flock of volunteer handmaidens to stand in silence, whether inside Freedom Plaza or at the front steps of the Supreme Court.

The handmaidens have been appearing out in front of the Supreme Court sporadically for the last week while the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Barrett have continued.

The rally started at noon and several speakers representing national grassroots organizations riled-up the crowd, encouraging them to turn-out and vote ahead of this Election Day against Trump while also protecting women’s health care and reproductive rights at the highest court in the land.

The marching officially began a few hours later at 2 p.m. as thousands flooded out of Freedom Plaza heading toward the Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Returning to the Court: Not this Woman’s First Rodeo

Claude Guillemard is just one of the thousands who were in attendance on Saturday.

Guillmard, originally a French national who later became a U.S. citizen in 2012 and now lives in Baltimore drove all the way to Washington, D.C. just for this special occasion.

But this isn’t her first time occupying the streets of the nation’s capital, according to Guillemard.

“I’m here, it’s not the first time. I was here at against the [Brett] Kavanaugh nomination,” exclusively told FingerLakes1.com.

Now she’s back, and this time it’s about airing her concerns about the Supreme Court once again as the confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett carry over from last week.

Unlike Kavanaugh, Guillemard claims that this is not the end, but only the beginning of a new movement against President Trump and his associates in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Barrett herself.

“This is just the beginning. We’re gonna be in the streets, because we have the numbers for us, and we’re gonna make sure we’re out there,” she insisted.

As for the pro-life advocates who are supporting Barrett and sharing the same public space as them, Guillemard mentions that these altercations with the other side are “useless” but doesn’t shy away from noting that protesters still need to show up as a visible affirmation against the degradation of democratic values.

“We know, of course, that it is useless, this kind of dialogue in this very explosive environment is useless. But on the other hand, it is really a matter of saying, ‘Yes, they are here. They’re very powerful’ and people who are hijacking the Constitution and our institution feel empowered. But the numbers are on our side and that’s what we need to be convinced of that they currently have the power, but there are more of us, and that’s what happened today,” she emphasized.

Her final call to action is a simple one, asking for her fellow citizens to get engaged in social activism, not just now, but even after the election officially ends.

“Please be ready to get in the streets and it has to be nonviolent,” she concluded.