The Women's March emerged after President Trump's inauguration in 2017. It was prompted by Trump's election as president due to his sexist and vulgar rhetoric towards women. It served as a platform for women to unite and show how they will not tolerate being treated as less than men, especially by their president.
As someone who considers myself to be a feminist, I fully supported this movement. Especially because it encouraged women to speak out against those who have oppressed them and realize that there is still not equality between men and women. Women are still getting paid less than men for doing the same job and are still being blamed for being the victim.
While I agree with this movements mission it has ironically begun to represent equality for some, but not for all.
Recently the Woman's March has been under scrutiny due to anti-semitic allegations. While nothing is clear in terms of if they are actually anti-semitic the allegations alone are enough to raise questions about the authenticity of this movement. Since gaining an immense amount of publicity as it has now become one of the biggest protests in history one has got wonder if their core values remain intact.
In a New York Times article written by Journalist Farah Stockman, she states that the leaders of this movement "made a commitment from the beginning to work across racial and religious lines, and to be led by what they considered the most 'marginalized' women".
While this movement was targeted toward women and standing up against hate despite ones racial or religious background their actions no longer reflect this.
Tamika Mallory, co-president of The Women's March Group has been seen openly supporting Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, on social media. Mr. Farrakhan is known for his extremely anti-semitic and hateful statements. Therefore it is quite ironic that Ms. Mallory, co-president of an organization that supposedly speaks out against hate, would stand behind a man who speaks hate against another group.
While yes, white Jews do exert a certain amount of white privilege, which they should acknowledge, this in no way justifies the hatred Jews receive from leaders such as Mr. Farrakhan. Despite one's political beliefs or religious affiliations no one, especially the leader of a movement which strives for equality and peace, should support anyone or any organization that attempts to exclude or attack another group.
It seems as if the leaders of this organization have become so fixated on the publicity and including the right people that they are now excluding women who do not fit into a certain category. Vanessa Wruble, one of the founders of this movement, who identifies as Jewish told the New York Times that some of her co-leaders said they "couldn't center Jewish women in this or we might turn off groups like Black Lives Matter".
The fact that these leaders care so much about what other movements think of them and chose to succumb to these social pressures over doing what is right displays how this is no longer a movement against hate. I would go as far to say that it is moving toward a movement of hate, hate towards groups such as Jews which do not fit into their definition of minorities.
No matter who you deem to be a minority or not no one should be exerting hate against anyone even if they are not a minority.
This movement is no longer a movement of unity and peace. There will now be two marches on the same day in New York City, one held by the Women's March Group and another by a group associated with the organization March On, created by Ms. Wruble.
The march led by those affiliated with the group March On is being held to shed light upon anti-semitism in the Women's March Organization and condemn it. While I do not find this segregation to be an effective way to solve this issue, something needs to be said.
This divide between Jewish women and the women leading the Women's March Group is not the way to uplift us as women. In fact, all it does it bring us down and make women's equality a seemingly more distant goal. This was the original incentive of this march on January 21, 2017, wasn't it?
Its purpose was to bring women together and inspire them to stand up against hate, not to dish out more of it.
