Women's March on Portland | |
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Part of 2017 Women's March | |
![]() Promotional artwork for the event | |
Date | January 21, 2017 |
Location | Portland, Oregon, United States |
Goals |
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Methods | Demonstration |
Number | |
Estimated 100,000 |
The Women's March on Portland, also known as the Portland Women's March,[1] the Women's March on Washington, Portland,[2] and Women's March Portland,[3] was an event in Portland, Oregon. Scheduled to coincide with the 2017 Women's March, it was held on January 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump.[4][5] The march was one of the largest public protests in Oregon's history with crowd estimates as high as 100,000 participants. No arrests were made during the demonstration.
Plans for the Portland march began with a small group of women in Eastern Oregon on November 11, 2016, following Trump's election. Thousands of people expressed interest in attending the event on its Facebook page just days after its creation. Organizers wanted to focus on women's rights but were criticized for not addressing issues of diversity. On December 27, Oregon's liaison to the national Women's March overtook the original event page. A new page was created, inviting participation by a group of women who had complained about the lack of diversity. Margaret Jacobsen became the march's lead organizer on January 6, 2017.
Sponsors of the event included the Oregon chapter of the National Organization for Women (Oregon NOW) and the Greater Portland NOW chapter, PDX Trans Pride, and a regional affiliate of Planned Parenthood. The NAACP of Portland withdrew its support, citing the original organizers' failure to discuss discrimination affecting minority groups, specifically immigrants, Muslim women, and women of color. Following the march, the Oregon Department of Justice launched an investigation into a dispute between organizers over funds raised.