Trump played golf on Martin Luther King Day.  He had originally planned to play tennis because he thought it was Billie Jean King day.

There will undoubtedly be numerous protest marches and demonstrations during 2018.  With the current incompetent, illegitimate, racist, corrupt, mendacious, despotic, Russian controlled administration still in place, I intend to participate in at least a few.  For those who think that political protests have little positive consequences, here are a few throughout American history:

·        Boston Tea Party – 1773 – At least 116 Massachusetts colonists participated, resulting in the first Continental Congress to consider a united American resistance to the British, a significant event in the growth of the American Revolution.

·        Women’s Suffrage March – 1913 – 5,000 women paraded in Washington, D.C., during which they were harassed with over 200 people treated for injuries.  Seven years later, the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution was passed, assuring voting rights for all American women.

·        Rabbi’s March – 1943 – 400 rabbis marched in support of Allied and American action to stop the destruction of European Jewry.  President Roosevelt refused to meet with the rabbis but eventually was moved to bring about a change in White House policy towards the Holocaust.

·        March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom – 1963 – 250,000 people hear Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech advocating for civil and economic rights for African Americans.  The march is credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

·        Moratorium March to End the War in Viet Nam – 1969 – Over 500,000 demonstrators lead Richard Nixon to state, “Now I understand that there has been, and continues to be, opposition to the war in Vietnam on the campuses and also in the nation.”

·        Women’s Strike for Equality – 1970 – 20,000 marched for equal opportunity in the workplace, political rights for women and social equality in relationships.  Nixon acknowledged the credibility of the movement, and scholars say the strike was a significant spark for second wave feminism

·        National March in Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights – 1979 – 75,000 marched to nationalize the gay movement.  The second march in 1987 was estimated at 750,000.  The 1993 march was estimated at 1 million. Colorado had just passed an amendment prohibiting laws protecting gays and lesbians.  President Clinton spoke, promising increased spending for AIDS research.

·        The Women’s March – 2017 – Crowds of around 500,000 in Washington and up to 5 million across the country, responded to the election of Donald Trump. Over 600 marches took place to advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights, women’s rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights, the natural environment LGBTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion and workers’ rights.

·        The Women’s March – 2018 – 250 events are scheduled worldwide for this coming Saturday, January 20^th.  In Washington, an impeachment march is schedule in conjunction with this event.

If you believe that our country is being destroyed by those currently in power, keep an eye out for the marches and demonstrations occurring in 2018 and show your resistance by participation.