National

D.C. Women’s March An All Inclusive Affair

THE AFRO — Thousands gathered Saturday to observe the third annual Women’s March in D.C.

Published

7 years ago

January 21, 2019

Oakland Post

By George Kevin Jordan

Thousands gathered Saturday to observe the third annual Women’s March in D.C.

The group was diverse, representing many demographics, ages and nationalities.

The march started around 11 a.m. near Freedom Plaza, 1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW, and wrapped back around to the original location and site of the rally. The march, “Rise Up, #womenswave” built steam as it went on, with crowds swelling once they reached the main stage. This event was part of several marches held across the U.S.

The women’s movement is a complex push for changes in policy. The group organization put forth a 72 page agenda. According to their official document:

“We believe the Women’s Agenda is the first intersectional feminist policy platform. Women’s March convened a group of 70 movement leaders to create this set of 24 essential federal policy priorities that form the foundation of the 2019 Women’s March on Washington and will establish the priorities of our movement over the next two years.”

The root of the movement is based in intersectionality, which the agenda describes:

“Intersectionality is a way to describe the experiences of identity that cross lines of gender, such as race, class, ability and sexual orientation, and come together to impact one’s experiences of moving through the world. The concept originates in Black feminist theory and the word itself was coined by Dr. Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw to describe the ways that Black women are uniquely impacted by discrimination in the workplace, the criminal justice system, education and more. Today, we advocate for an expansive understanding of intersectionality when we fight for social and policy change.”

The movement wants to create policies and legislation that address ending violence against Women & Femmes, Reproductive Rights and justice, LGBTQIA Rights, Immigrant rights, Civil Rights and liberties, among many other items.

The lineup of speakers was representative of the intersectionality that the organization’s agenda described. Romper.com reported a full list of speakers.

One of the highlights of the march and rally was the imaginative posters and protest signs depicting everything from an illustration of Martin Luther King, Jr. silencing a tweeting President Trump to a man carrying a sign that read: “Build Blasey-Ford Tough” paying homage to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford who testified during the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.

For Alyzsha Negron, a Virginia resident, attending the march was personal.

“I’m here to stand for something,” Negron told the AFRO. “If we don’t stand for something we’ll fall for anything. Everybody’s out here for something. I’m hoping that we actually have some change. I just hope for equality for everyone.”

Negron said she is hopeful the new energy and legislators in office might help bring a change.

“As long as we let oppressors oppress us it won’t make a difference,” Negron said. “So as long as we stand together with the new faces we’ll be fine.”

Lyn Walker from Pennsylvania, walked along the the perimeter of the stage. She said that her need to attend was nonnegotiable.

“I had to be apart and show the government that we do care about they way their talking about women, the way they’re treating us, and how we need to be apart of the administration as well,” Walker told the AFRO.

The experience was powerful for Walker who added, “It feels good to see so many women that I didn’t realize felt the same way, that they want a government that understands their point of view.”

There was controversy prior to the march as some members of the founding organization accuses other organizers of anti-semitism. During the day, inclusion was the focal point.

Patricia Thomas, Tee Ford Ahmed and a woman who asked to be identified as Amoriya traveled all the way from Athens, Ohio to attend the march. The women were excited as soon as they got to the crowds.

“I’m already feeling inspired,” Thomas told the AFRO. “We’re trying to make a positive change in this country.”

And although they all came with hopes for the future, they were all united to keep the momentum of the march going when they returned home.

“We already have a sister march in our hometown,” Thomas said. “We’ll go home and keep it rolling.”

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Poll Shows Support for Policies That Help Families Afford Child Care

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

Published

2 days ago

March 2, 2026

Oakland Post

By First Five Years Fund

New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

The national survey was conducted by UpOne Insight on behalf of the First Five Years Fund from January 13–18, 2026.

Key findings include:

• Parents need help: 80% of voters say the ability of working parents to find and afford child care is either in a state of crisis or a major problem.

• This is an affordability issue: 82% believe federal child care funding will help lower costs for working families — including 69% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats.

• And there continues to be strong support (62%) for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), a federal program that makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of families to afford safe, quality care for their children while parents work or go to school, including a majority of Republicans, 63% of Independents and 72% of Democrats.

• Support for funding child care programs remains strong: 75% believe child care funding should be increased or kept at current levels — including 75% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 97% of Democrats.

• 74% say funding for child care is an important and good use of tax dollars, including a majority of Republicans, three-quarters of Independents, and nine in ten Democrats.

FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling said, “Voters across the country are sending a clear message: federal child care and early learning programs work. These investments help parents stay in the workforce, strengthen families, and support healthy child development. They have also long had strong bipartisan support in Congress. At a time when affordability is top of mind for families, continued federal funding is essential to ensure child care remains accessible and within reach.”

First Five Years Fund works to protect, prioritize, and build bipartisan support for quality child care and early learning programs at the federal level. Reliable, affordable, and high-quality early learning and child care can be transformative, not only enhancing a child’s prospects for a brighter future but also bolstering working parents and fostering economic stability nationwide.

We work with Congress and the Administration to identify federal solutions that work for families with young children, as well as states and communities. We work with policymakers to identify ways to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and early learning programs for children. And we collaborate with advocacy groups to help align best practices with the best possible policies. http://www.ffyf.org

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

3 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Trump’s MAGA Allies are Creating Executive Order Plan to Steal the 2026 Midterms

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

Published

5 days ago

February 27, 2026

Oakland Post

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

A group of MAGA pro-Trump activists, who say they are working in coordination with the White House, are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that would claim without evidence that China interfered with the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential to President Joe Biden by over 7 million votes. Since Trump lost to Biden in 2020, he has repeatedly claimed that the election was “stolen” without evidence. The report of a group of “Trump allies” preparing an executive order to give Trump power over elections was first reported by The Washington Post.

The lies around the right-wing campaign that pushed falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen was trafficked through right-wing media, particularly Fox News. Fox News was then sued for defamation for the claims by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox lost the case and had to settle for the largest defamation amount on record of $787.5 million in April 2023.

The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

The story in The Washington Post arrives as Trump increasingly signals that he may take actions that would alter the result of the 2026 midterms. The Republicans are widely expected to lose as their approval ratings plummet as a result of a failing economy under Trump. Over 50 members of Congress have announced they will retire this year and not return in 2027.

The Trump Department of Justice, which now has a large image of Trump on the side of it, “sued five new states Thursday [Feb. 26, 2026] demanding access to their unredacted voter rolls — escalating a campaign that has been rejected by multiple federal courts and faces resistance from Republican-led states as well,” according to Democracy Docket, a group that works to protect voting rights.

Trump claimed back in late 2020, the last year of his first term, that he had the authority to issue an executive order related to mail-in voting for the 2020 elections — which he would then lose. But the Constitution states that control of elections lies with the states. As the GOP works to place hurdles in front of voting, Democrats worked to make voting easier.

In March 2021, President Biden signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to expand voting access as part of the Biden Administration’s effort “to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections.”

Trump’s focus is clearly on altering the November 2026 midterm elections. Trump’s polling numbers and the elections and special elections that have taken place around the U.S. over the last year clearly indicate that Republicans are about to be hit by a blue wave of Democratic victories.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the founder of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and hosts the show LAUREN LIVE on YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke