Women's March Organizers Look Ahead To Next Steps
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- After what some political scientists call the single largest day of demonstrations in United States history, organizers of the women's marches in protest against the Trump administration say they aim to keep the momentum going.
More than 100,000 thousand marched in San Francisco, 84,000 in Oakland, and 25,000 in San Jose, mirroring protest marches in Washington, DC and other cities nationwide and worldwide.
March participants are now tweeting pictures of postcards they are sending to senators with the hashtag #WhyIMarch
It's the first of what organizers are calling 10 actions in 100 days.
Alliance for Girls Executive Director Emma Mayerson, who helped organize the Oakland march, said this movement won't just go away like Occupy Wall Street did.
Mayerson said the difference is that the women's movement is rooted in existing organizations. "This didn't start on Saturday, and so we will continue to do this," she said. "We have had so much progress already and this is just one more step."
Mayerson hopes the passion on the streets she saw in Oakland translates to more support for local groups like hers.
"If every single person who marched also gave $10 to a women's and girls organization - we had 60,000 marchers - that would be $600,000."
Today, she's been seeing more donations for alliance for girls. But her organization's biggest grant comes from the federal government - dollars she's not sure will continue to flow in under a new administration.
"The idea of the women's march was really to compel the new administration to continue to fund women's work and continue to support pro-girl and pro-women policy," said Mayerson. "Part of the power of coming together is that our message is better heard."
Women's march organizers say they'll roll out each action every 10 days.