On January 21st, 2017, the Washington, D.C. Women's March and over 650 "sister marches" around the country made waves as the largest single-day protest in our nation's history, with as many as 5 million people participating nationwide. Since then, the organization has continued to support causes and organize against the Trump Administration, and has come to dominate the progressive movement in the United States.
Late last year, however, the Women's March was hit with credible accusations of antisemitism made against activists Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, the organization's co-chairs. In wake of this scandal, many on the progressive Left have found themselves in an especially tricky spot, leading to serious questions and debate about the future of the Women's March, as well as the Left more broadly.
Ms. Sarsour and Ms. Mallory both have long and distinguished careers in the fields of social-justice activism and organizing, and to simply discredit the critical and deeply impactful work they have done over the years because of these allegations would be to do a grave disservice to the communities and individuals who have been empowered and uplifted by that work.
At the same time, however, to dismiss the real and serious issue of antisemitism in the Women's March organization would be to do an equally grave disservice to the communities and individuals who find themselves under daily threat from that age-old hatred.
Progressives face the daunting but absolutely critical task of treading the fine line between quashing hatred wherever it rears its ugly head on the one hand, and avoiding the inadvertent delegitimization of important work and issues on the other.
Antisemitism on the part of the organization's leadership does not delegitimize the principles that founded the march for women's rights, nor does it delegitimize the broader causes of justice for Palestine or ending mass incarceration—causes to which Ms. Sarsour and Ms. Mallory have dedicated their lives and careers.
The struggles for women's rights, peace in Palestine, and criminal justice reform are much more than just these individuals—they have existed since long before the time of Ms. Sarsour and Ms. Mallory and will continue to exist long after, and are comprised of countless activists and organizers who in almost all cases are as vehemently opposed to bigotry of any sort as you or me.
The charges leveled against the Women's March leadership are a long-overdue signal that activists from all walks of life, working on all manner of issues, to engage in deep introspection about how their words and actions both in and out of organizing circles may impact marginalized communities—intentionally or otherwise. However, to use these charges as a reason to pull back from organizing for women's rights or any other issue is not just counterproductive, it plays directly into the hands of those who would love nothing more than to see movements for social justice crash and burn.
What fundamentally undermines the credibility of the Women's March organization is not necessarily the charges leveled against its leaders as individuals—after all, most of the marches around the country have been and continue to be organized by state-level organizations in which the national leadership plays no role, and several of these state-level groups have in fact chosen to condemn or cut ties with the national Women's March as this scandal has developed.
What primarily undermines the credibility of the Women's March as a national organization is the organization's response to these charges—rather than admitting its failures and replacing its current leadership with organizers who are capable of emphasizing on truly intersectional empowerment of all oppressed groups, the organization merely issued a lukewarm condemnation of "bigotry and discrimination in all their forms—including homophobia and anti-semitism", with no clear admission of wrongdoing or plan of action for how to rectify the damage that has been done.
The current leadership has made it clear that they have no intention of stepping aside and instead will remain in their current positions despite being called on to resign by Teresa Shook, the original founder of the Women's March.
As progressives, it is our duty when faced with hatred of any kind—and antisemitism is no exception—to unequivocally condemn such hatred and ensure that it has no place in our movements and organizations. Any response to credible charges of bigotry or hatred that falls short of unequivocal condemnation and a pledge to work towards reconciliation—including, if necessary, the removal of offending individuals from positions of influence—is a blatant failure not just of strategy, but of leadership and of values as well.
Whether you attend the 2019 Women's March is, at the end of the day, up to you. Recognizing that all movements experience problems in their leadership and that the principles and values underlying the march extend far beyond the influence of any one or two individuals, the last thing we should be doing is shaming our friends and allies who choose to attend even in light of the recent allegations.
If you do choose to attend, however, keep this in mind—mere awareness of these issues within the organization's leadership does not absolve you of any responsibility. In fact, we are all more responsible now than ever before for ensuring that when engaging in activism and organizing work, we conduct ourselves in a manner that is inclusive and empowering of all people regardless of identity. There is simply no other option.
