The Boston Resistance: Women's March the First of Many Anti-Trump Actions Planned

BOSTON, MA — Taking the podium before tens of thousands of protesters last week in Boston, Bethel AME Church's Mariama White-Hammond exhorted Women's March participants to recognize, "This is just one moment, but it is part of a movement to keep this country moving forward."

The message was repeated over and over during the day of protest. But, at least in the short-term, it seems that Boston needs no reminding. A city that's cemented in history as the birthplace of American rebellion isn't settling down any time soon.

The political mood in Boston remains red hot in the wake of President Donald Trump's inauguration, and upcoming events posted to social media and shared through Eventbrite or other platforms make clear that public displays of outrage will remain in vogue in the Hub for months to come.

It's hard to imagine a bigger protest than the Boston Women's March for America, which saw train-swampingly large crowds traveling into Boston. The city put its final turnout estimate at 175,000, making Boston's among the biggest marches in the country, even compared to much larger locales like Los Angeles and New York. Still, there's more to come, even if not quite on that scale.

Scenes from the Boston Women's March for America: Slideshow

An impromptu, union-hosted protest against Trump's immigration policies Thursday drew, according to press accounts, more than 100 attendees.

Events coming up in the days and weeks ahead include a Civil Rights Rally for Immigrants and Muslims, a March and Speakout to Resist Deportation, a Tax Day March, a Rally Against Xenophobia, a March for Science.

All have 100 or more planning to attend, according to the Facebook events. The march for science, to be held at a to-be-determined date in parallel with a similar planned event in Washington, D.C., is already sitting at more than 5,000 RSVPs on Facebook.

On a more intimate level, local groups are offering training sessions with titles like "How to Resist Islamophobia and Racism Under Trump" or "Muslim-led Teach-in: What Allies Should Know about the Targeting of Our Community."

The tens of thousands who signed up to attend last weekend's Women's March have since been targeted by emails asking them to take certain "action steps," such as contacting their congressional representatives, or by joining local political organizations.

Bostons Womens March: Patch Live-Blog

It all comes back to a central question hurled by critics and anxiously asked by participants in the wake of the Women's March: "What comes next?"

For City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, the issue ahead is apathy.

"I'm marching because we can't afford to be complacent," she told Patch last week from a people-packed Boston Common. "This is not a movement. What we do beyond that is the movement. What we do today is realize that our destinies are all tied together."

In a series of interviews with Patch, other participants in the Women's March weighed in.

"I think of this as a first step," one protester told Patch. Another emphasized that marching must translate into taking direction action, by contacting elected officials and supporting organizations that further specifics causes.

Why They March: Three Profiles from the Boston Women's March for America

From the Women's March podium last week, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh echoed up the call: "It's not what we do today that's important, it's what we do tomorrow."

In Boston, it seems, it's not whether the protest and political action continues, but how long they endure.

From there, the real question will speak to White-Hammond's point: Does the action create a "movement"? And, if so, how exactly will that manifest?

Photo by Alison Bauter, Patch staff