In Austin, A Broad Coalition Mobilized to Protest Trump
Image by Courtesy Brandon Mond
By Brandon Mond January 23, 2017
One Resistance was Austin, Texas’ grassroots day-of inauguration rally and march. This march was a broad coalition of groups who have been doing liberation work for a long time, and groups that were just starting or have not been active for that long — from socialists to faith based groups, undocumented advocates to labor unions, and Black Lives Matter to Women’s rights groups. People were tabling and flyering, representing who they were with but there was no tension between the groups. The park almost seemed like a family gathering the way old friends were reuniting. The rally itself had Spanish and sign language translators in real time; it was incredibly inclusive.
The feeling of the action was best encapsulated in one of the chants started towards the end of the march: “Austin, Texas dry your eyes // it is time to organize.” These people did not come to play and did not intend on letting the efforts die that night. It was a truly inspirational and humbling group with which to march.
