I attended the Women’s Convention in Detroit this weekend, and witnessed first hand how it contributed to the current women’s movement in America. It was a powerful space where social justice activists and well-known leaders shared their expertise and created a call for action. Through workshops, panels, and speeches, the Women’s convention gave momentum to the new intersectional wave of feminism during the Trump era.
Maxine Waters, one of the most well-known and outspoken Democratic U.S. representatives, headlined the convention and inspired the event’s slogan ‘Reclaiming our Time.’ During her speech, she fired up the crowd and touched on issues like violence against women, sexual assault and harassment, Trump and Russia, and racism in America. Before she finished, she got the crowd on their feet chanting “Impeach 45” referring to Donald Trump. This outrage and passion she was able to spark in attendees furthered the inspiration to create change.
Much of the convention focused on the idea that women should work on gaining more seats in office. Emily’s List, a national organization dedicated to advancing Democratic women in politics, held workshops and panels to give women resources to run effective campaigns. After the 2016 election, over 20,000 women signed up on their website stating their interest in running for office. Before the election, their numbers barely reached 100. Running for office is a concrete way women can fight to have their voices heard.
A panel I attended was titled “Confronting White Womanhood” that focused on how white women consciously or unconsciously contribute to the oppression of people of color, and how we can change our mindsets and actions to make a difference. The room was overflowing. One action a panelist urged us to think about was to not call the police in situations where we feel a little ‘unsafe.’ She said, “When white women say we’re frightened of scary black men, really bad things happen.” Police brutality and racial profiling is unfortunately ever-present in our society, and if white women can refrain from calling the police for non-serious incidents, we can likely help avoid putting others in unsafe situations as well.
Overall, the Women’s Convention inspired intersectional discussion, change, and call to action for the Women’s movement during the Trump era.
- Madeline Martin