UPDATE: 2/15 11:00 a.m. ― On Valentine’s Day, the Women’s March revealed that the “general strike” that was announced early last week will take place on March 8th, International Women’s Day.
In an Instagram post, Women’s March organizers wrote: “We saw what happened when millions of us stood together in January, and now we know that our army of love greatly outnumbers the army of fear, greed and hatred. On March 8th, International Women’s Day, let’s unite again in our communities for A Day Without A Woman. Over the next few weeks we will be sharing more information on what actions on that day can look like for you.”
Read the full post below.
PREVIOUSLY:
On Monday morning, the Women’s March announced on Instagram that there will be a “general strike.”
The Instagram post is simple and gives little to no information, reading: “General strike: A day without a woman. Date To Be Announced.” The caption reads: “The will of the people will stand.”
Although details about the strike are scarce ― the above Instagram post appears to be the only information that has been made public, and Women’s March organizers did not respond to The Huffington Post’s request for comment ― the general reaction has been largely positive.
As of Monday afternoon, the initial Instagram post had already received more than 17,000 likes. The Women’s March also posted the news on Twitter and Facebook, where many users commented in support of a strike.
Many celebrities retweeted the news in support. “Hit ‘em in the wallet,” writer and comedian Corinne Fisher wrote on Twitter. Feminist writer Jessica Valenti added: “I am so here for this.”
This is not the first post-election strike aimed at engaging women. On Inauguration Day, more than 7,000 people participated in an organized Women’s Strike to protest President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Paulina Davis, vice chair of the New York chapter of the feminist group National Women’s Liberation and one of the strike’s organizers, told HuffPost in January that they hoped to have as many as 20,000 participants. Although the strike didn’t reach the lofty goal, Davis explained how impactful a strike can be.
“If 20,000 women pledge, it’s a show of force. If 20,000 women say, ‘I’m not going to work today,’ people are going to feel that,” she said. “They’re going to feel that in the work place and they’re going to feel it at home.”
The Huffington Post reached out to The Women’s March organization for more details on the upcoming strike, and will update this story accordingly.
