Over the weekend, women across Michigan, the country and the globe gathered for the second annual Women’s March, marking a year of increased civic engagement for women’s issues and creating actionable steps for 2018.

The Women’s March Michigan: Power to the Polls, was held on the steps of the state capitol Sunday in Lansing, focusing on the need for women to run for public office, as women make up less than 25 percent of the legislature in Michigan.

“In order for women to be represented in policies, they must run for office,” organizers of the march shared on Facebook.

There were also Women’s March events held in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Farmington Hills, Kalamazoo, Marquette, Traverse City and Midland, to name a few.

Last year’s inaugural Women’s March movement brought together more than 5 million people around the world, making it the largest coordinated peaceful demonstration in U.S. history and one of the largest in world history. Since then, we have seen the first Women’s March Convention held in Detroit, national conversations and movements develop around equitable pay and sexual harassment.

 “I think the Women’s March was the visible catalyst of a huge wave of social change and I think it’s only gained momentum over the course of the year,” Peg Talburtt, co-chair of Michigan Grantmakers for Women and Girls (MGWG) affinity group and CMF trustee, who attended the march in D.C. last year said. “I think the #MeToo campaign ignited because it happened in the context of the Women’s March, I think it’s been a year when women and men have just said ‘enough.”

We are also seeing an active shift in spotlighting those who are doing the work in the field. One of the breakout session speakers for the MGWG affinity group’s session at Our Common Future conference, Saru Jayaraman, president of Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) United, was invited by actress Amy Poehler to join her at the Golden Globes. Through this, Jayaraman and her organization which advocate for fair and equitable pay, were spotlighted heavily in the media and on social.

ROC United shares that “through the ONE FAIR WAGE campaign, ROC United is fighting nationally to eliminate the two-tiered wage system by raising the separate, lower minimum wage for those who work for tips in the restaurant industry to match the regular minimum wage, so that no one has to experience the financial insecurity, discrimination, and sexual harassment that comes with being forced to live off tips.”

Talburtt says the well-organized women’s movement has sparked civic engagement with an agenda that’s inclusive of all kinds of equity issues for women, people of color and other populations.

“It’s a chance to recognize the progress that has been made but it’s very clear there’s still a long road to go,” Talburtt said.

The Women’s March provides a toolkit on how to involve and empower others, including youth, in civic engagement. The toolkit provides a roadmap for anyone who may be interested in following the steps the Women’s March has taken for an effective movement, including how to:

• Identify a cause and learn how to organize and mobilize your community

• Get educated on voting and get ready to vote

• Get ready to run for office

When it comes to empowering and supporting women to run for public office, Talburtt said, “I think we’ve turned that corner where women are now being asked by the national offices and within states to run.”

Want more?

Connect with the Michigan Grantmakers for Women & Girls Affinity Group at their upcoming convening on March 8 in Detroit.

Check out the toolkit from the Women’s March about effective ways to organize.