Women’s March Alliance

In 2019, there was conflict between the New York-based Alliance and the national group Women’s March, Inc. when Women’s March, Inc. board member Linda Sarsour sought involvement in an upcoming march. Sarsour’s organization contacted Women’s March Alliance president Katherine Siemionko demanding that her team members be added to Siemionko’s planning committee. ² When Siemionko declined, Sarsour hosted its own separate march in New York City that competed with Women’s March Alliance.

Activities and Controversy

Women’s March Alliance organized marches in New York in both 2017 and 2018. In 2019, there was conflict between the New York-based Alliance and the national group Women’s March, Inc. when Women’s March board member Linda Sarsour sought involvement in an upcoming march. Sarsour’s organization contacted Women’s March Alliance president Katherine Siemionko demanding that her team members be added to Siemionko’s planning committee. ²

When Siemionko declined, Sarsour hosted its own separate march in New York City that competed with Women’s March Alliance. Siemionko characterized Women’s March, Inc.’s actions as “bullying,” “threats,” and an “attempt to hijack the inclusive and beautiful Women’s March on NYC.” At the time, Women’s March, Inc. shot back that the Alliance “is not affiliated with our network and has refused to work with our official Women’s March New York chapter leaders, who are women of color, on the 2019 march.” ²

Siemionko stressed that the Alliance viewed its efforts as local and grassroots as opposed to the national-focused Women’s March, Inc. Vanessa Wruble, the organizer of Women’s March on Washington, said, “We believe in the power of local women versus something that comes more top-down in which there are a few people at the top dictating what happens.” ²

After the publication of an opinion piece in the New York Post calling for a boycott of Women’s March, Inc. over its leaders’ anti-Semitic views, Siemionko issued a statement distancing Women’s March Alliance from the national group:

Women’s March, Inc., is not and has never provided funding, coordination, assistance, or support to any other Women’s March event that WMA is aware of. Women’s March, Inc., leadership does not speak for WMA or the Women’s March on NYC. […] In its commitment to equality, WMA partners with multiple Jewish organizations across New York City to lead, plan and organize events, including but not exclusive to, the Women’s March on NYC. ²

Funding

In 2019, Women’s March Alliance had a total revenue of $26,502, total expenses of $81,676, and finished the year with $7,597 in assets. ³

The Alliance raises money through Give Lively LLC, a financial service that works with many left-progressive nonprofit organizations. ^{4 5}

Leadership

Katherine Siemionko is the founder and president of Women’s March Alliance.

As of 2019, Lavanna Martinez and Lauren Ashcraft were on the group’s board. ⁶ Lavanna Martinez is a senior political manager at Run for Something, a left-progressive candidate recruitment organization. ⁷ Lauren Ashcraft ran for Congress in New York’s 12th congressional district but was defeated in the 2020 Democratic primary. ⁸