ABSTRACT
The marginal role played by organizations in the marches protesting Trump’s agenda is in sharp contrast to the central role of the major civil rights and feminist organizations in the protest marches of the 1960s and 1970s. The national civil rights marches and feminist marches of the 20th century could not have taken place without months of preparation coordinated by sponsoring organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and National Organization for Women (NOW). Ross had served as director Women of Color Programs for the National Organization for Women, but became disillusioned with NOW’s failure to adequately address reproductive justice issues, in particular the forced sterilization of women of color. Prior to the election of Donald Trump, many of the newer organizations such as Occupy were not involved in, and did not encourage their members to engage in, electoral politics. For 21st-century feminist activists, women’s rights are inextricably bound up with racial and economic justice.
