Boston Women’s March for America

Background

The Boston Women’s March for America was part of a larger movement of “Women’s March” demonstrations that took place on January 21, 2017, the day after the first inauguration of President Donald Trump. A similar march took place in Washington, D.C. on the same day called the Women’s March on Washington. ^{2 1}

The march was intended to advocate support for women, immigrants, and LGBT individuals, according to a January 2021 article by the Huntington News. An estimated 175,000 people attended the march. Protestors reportedly carried signs reading “My body my choice,” “A woman’s place is in the resistance,” “Dump Trump,” and “Make America think again.” ¹

Speakers at the event included U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), U.S. Senator Edward Markey (D-MA), and then-Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. ¹

Organizers

Kim Whittaker was the project manager of the Boston Women’s March for America. Previously, she was the president of Winchester Event Marketing and interim executive director and board president of March Forward Massachusetts. ^{3 4}

Sonya Khan was a program co-chair of the Boston Women’s March for America. Khan is the associate chief operating officer of the Lowell Community Health Center and was previously a program director at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. She worked as operations staff for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. ^{5 4}

Yordanos Eyoel was an organizer of the march. Previously, she was a managing partner for New Profit. ^{6 4}

Zachary Steigerwald Schnall was an organizer of the march, co-chairing the Campus and Student Outreach Committee. ^{4 1}

Shelley Yen-Ewert was an organizer of the march. Yen-Ewert is a federal grants project manager at Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs. Previously, she worked at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and as a disability grant peer reviewer at the U.S. Department of Justice for its Office on Violence Against Women. ^{7 4}