Grandma to lead biggest protest against a Prez
Hawaii grandmother Teresa Shook wanted to share her outrage with other women the night after Donald Trump was elected President, but she had few options in her remote island community. So, she went on Facebook and in a popular political group wrote the first thing that came to mind: I think we should march.
Four weeks later, organisers credit Ms Shook’s quiet plea with igniting what could be the largest demonstration in the nation’s capital related to a presidential election.
More than 125,000 people from across the country have signed up to march in Washington on January 21, the day after Mr Trump’s inauguration in support of women’s rights. Sister protests are planned in London and Frankfurt and online interest has grown to hundreds of thousands.
“I didn’t have a plan or a thought about what would happen,” Ms Shook told Reuters by phone from the island of Maui. “I just kept saying, I think we should march.”
After a bruising election campaign marked by Mr Trump’s comments on women, organizers say his presidency could threaten access to women’s healthcare, erode protection against sexual violence and roll back aid to struggling mothers.
“I was in such shock and disbelief that this type of sentiment could win,” said Ms Shook, a retired lawyer from Indiana with four grandchildren. “We had to let people know that is not who were are.”
Ms Shook first floated the idea of a women’s march in a private Facebook group, Pantsuit Nation, which became a widely popular I didn’t have a plan or a thought about what would happen. I just kept saying, I think we should march. I was in such shock and disbelief that this type of sentiment (Trump’s attitude against women) could win
Teresa Shook, discussion page for supporters of Mr Trump’s rival, Hillary Clinton.
After getting a response to her post from a single woman in the chatroom, Ms Shook said she created a private Facebook event page for the march and invited a few dozen online friends to join before going to sleep. Overnight, a link to Ms Shook’s event page was posted in Pantsuit Nation and possibly sent to similar groups.
“When I woke, up it had gone ballistic,” Ms Shook said. More than 300,000 people are now “interested” in the event on Facebook, including many of those who said they would participate. Women from across the US contacted her and began to guide the effort.
Supporters say they were galvanized by Mr Trump’s insults against high-profile women, as well as by fresh fears the US Supreme Court ruling Roe vs Wade legalizing abortion could be at risk when Mr Trump appoints the next Supreme Court justice.
Hawaii resident and retired lawyer