Oakland, Calif., was the site of one of the state’s almost 50 “sister marches” to the Women’s March on Washington on Sat., Jan. 21. (Oakland Women’s March)
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2017-01-23/energy-policy/after-a-weekend-of-protests-now-what-california/a56061-1
BERKELEY, Calif. — In California alone, there were nearly 50 “sister marches” in tandem with Saturday’s Women’s March on Washington in the nation’s capital.
Rallies included smaller hamlets – like Santa Maria, Santa Paula and Oxnard, up north – as well as marches in the major metropolitan areas. And many Californians went to the march in Washington, D.C. Ahmina Maxey was among them. She said that for her, it was about advocating for clean energy.
Maxey is based in Berkeley and is the U.S. and Canada regional coordinator for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives – so cleaner air is her priority.
“I have asthma, a lot of my family and friends have asthma,” Maxey said. “We are impacted by these poor decisions that our elected officials and their appointees make.”
The latest poll from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and Bill Lane Center for the American West, said that 55 percent of Californians would like to see tax reform from the Trump administration, but almost as many – 48 percent – think repealing the Affordable Care Act is a bad idea.
The Women’s Marches cast a wide net in terms of social justice causes, with participants citing concerns about workers’ rights and reproductive rights, religious freedoms and environmental protections. To keep the momentum, Maxey said the focus now is on providing positive alternatives.
“Not only are we against these things, but we also are really for solutions that we can demonstrate, and that we stand united in,” she said.
Speakers at many of the events urged people to channel their energy and frustration into working to improve their own communities, including running for office.