Women’s March in D.C. draws hundreds in protest of Supreme Court nominee, Trump - The Washington Post

Wearing costumes and carrying signs, thousands of people gathered for the Women’s March in downtown Washington and cities across the country Saturday to protest the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett and to build momentum to vote President Trump out of the White House.

Nearly four years after an election that galvanized millions of protesters to march in cities nationwide — many of them for the first time — Women’s March leaders hope to bring a final show of force before Nov.

The march is taking place days before the Senate holds its first vote to confirm Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal leader and feminist icon.

Saturday, several hundred people had gathered at Freedom Plaza ahead of a noon rally urging women to vote and calling on Congress to suspend the Supreme Court confirmation process.

Harriet, who was dressed as Ginsburg, complete with lace collar, was taking part in her third Women’s March.

“You can use social media all you want, but there’s something to be said about showing up,” said Justina Gilliam, 40, who said she had attended every Women’s March in Washington.

The costumes were a reference to Barrett’s leadership role in the Christian group People of Praise, a position that had been called “handmaiden” until 2017 when “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, was adapted for TV and the term was associated with women subjugated by men.

At the same time, a counterprotest organized by a conservative women’s organization will also take place at the Supreme Court.

Each year since pink-hatted women first flooded the nation’s capital the day after President Trump’s inauguration in 2017, the Women’s March has organized marches in January nationwide, promoting a list of policy demands and helping motivate women to run for office in record numbers.

The group’s organizers quickly planned hundreds of marches, both virtual and in-person, focused primarily on voting rights and the Supreme Court confirmation process.

The march comes amid an economic recession that has fallen especially hard on women of color and mothers, a Supreme Court nomination that many fear threatens the reproductive rights of women, and a presidential election that could be decided in large part by women.

The initial Women’s March brought scores of these suburban women to the streets, including many who had never previously attended a protest.

The average age of those who attended the first Women’s March in 2017 was 43, according to Dana R.

But even if Biden wins the election, Women’s March organizers say, they will continue to play a role in energizing women to get involved in activism and politics