It's been a long wait since November, but the time is finally here.


The march is on.

Co-chairs Tamika Mallory and Cameron Perez have been planning the march since election night and according to this video they have made it accessible, amenable and inclusive. Nobody will left behind, and those pregnant or with disabilities will be fully catered to.

Celebrity support for the marches has come in abundance. Given the overwhelming support for Hillary from Hollywood during the election - this comes as no surprise. Nevertheless, the displays of rigour and adamance for the women’s cause, especially Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes have been astonishing. Support for the march has been garnered through a variety of social media channels in a show of unity unparalleled since perhaps the Great March on Washington headed by Martin Luther King in 1963.

While the numbers indicate that on that day70-80% of the attendees were African-Americans, this march is expected to be decidedly more diverse, given the support for the outgoing African-American president and the growth of feminism in the past decade. Both Mallory and Perez have been eager to promote the ideals of inclusivityand solidarity - this march is not about your race or gender, but about equality in the face of division.

Courtesy of womensmarch.com

We spoke to Pulitzer Prize winning author of Negroland Margo Jefferson today about walking in the march, and standing on the artists’ committee. When asked why she was going, Jefferson told us, “I’m going because I want – no, I need-- to see all kinds of women marching for all kinds of justice. All of us refusing to be belittled and assaulted. I’m on the Artists’ Committee and I’ll be with a group of artist friends – writers, actors, musicians.But I’ll be marching in tune and time with all kinds of strangers and that’s what excites me the most." she finishes, "That and the fact that this is just the beginning.”

"I need-- to see all kinds of women marching for all kinds of justice. All of us refusing to be belittled and assaulted." - Margo

Jefferson will be joined by America Ferrera who is scheduled to chair the artist’s table with a plethora of other entertainers and scholars that will head up the crowd before they start the walk toward the White House. Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o has been very vocal of her support via social media channels, further proving the power of those like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to bring together the hundreds of thousands that will join in the marches throughout the country. In a tweet she says, “Proud to move with the @womensmarch this Jan 21st, raising my voice for honesty, truth, and compassion against injustice, lying and greed.”

Beyoncé has also voiced her support for the march on Facebook in an empowering declaration; "We raise our voices as mothers, as artists, and as activists," she wrote, "As #GlobalCitizens, we can make our voices heard and turn awareness into meaningful action and positive change.” A huge advocate of the Black Lives Matter campaign, and a major supporter of Clinton, the message resonates on a personal level with the singer, whose sister Solange kicked off the weekend’s women’s events with the Peace Ball on Thursday evening. The ball proclaimed itself an event for the ‘voices of hope and resistance,’ and an opportunity to take stock of this administration’s massive achievements over the past four years. It coincided with marches in New York attended by Alec Baldwin, Mark Ruffalo, and mayor Bill De Blasio that were mostly peaceful and encouraged the hundred-day peaceful resistance that begins today.

"We can make our voices heard and turn awareness into meaningful action and positive change." - Beyoncé

Courtesy of jmonae.com

Janelle Monae is among a group of musicians that make the inauguration’s line-up look like a child’s birthday party. In a statement announcing her participation she said, "I am honored to join this critical movement to bring justice and equality to all.” The artists’ table Monae joins is as diverse as many believe the march will be - with women and men of different races and ages coming together to promote togetherness the day after one of the most divisive inaugurations in the country’s history. And if every woman mentioned in this piece uses their social media to promote the march tomorrow - their reach will be over 100million people, not to mention the +200k due to attend.

March on, ladies.


WRITTEN BY

Amy Corcoran