The Women's March on Washington, an event described by its organizers as a movement of solidarity and advocacy for women is happening on Jan. 21. If you're attending, you may be wondering how to best showcase your feelings about women's rights (also known as human rights). But there are plenty of great feminist quotes to put on your Women's March signs out there.
Even if you're not in Washington, D.C. for the march, you can still attend a sister march somewhere else. Sister marches are being held in all 50 states, as well as in many international locations. And if you can't make it out to one of those, you can still watch a live-stream of the D.C. event's rally, which features such speakers as Angela Davis, Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood, Janet Mock, and more.
While the the march isn't being described as explicitly anti-President Donald Trump, the fact that it's taking place the day after his inauguration says a lot. When it was first being promoted, the Women's March was criticized for its lack of women of color as organizers, which led to the addition of a more diverse group of women to the march's leadership. The march also released a list of intersectional unity principles, which clarified that the march is pro-women and femme-identifying people, while acknowledging the unique challenges that people of color and other people from traditionally marginalized backgrounds face.
Here are a few quotes you might want to consider putting on your signs if you're out there this Saturday:
1Situations Of Injustice
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." - Desmond Tutu
I love this call to action quote by South African social rights activist Tutu so much that I bought a shirt emblazoned with it.
2Spirit Of Peaceful Protest
"Unite with love, resist with love."
In the vein of "Love Trumps Hate," here's a version that doesn't explicitly invoke the name of the new president.
3Human Rights
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
"Women's rights are human rights." - Hillary Clinton
Probably the most fundamental truth about feminism you can find.
4Created Equal
"We are created equal."
This one gets the point across concisely, so it's great for lettering on a sign in bold.
5Malala On Equality
"We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back." - Malala Yousafzai
Yousafzai may have been speaking specifically about education in this instance, but it's true about pretty much everything relating to gender discrimination.
6You Are The Sky
"You think I'll be the dark sky so you can be the star? I'll swallow you whole." -Warsan Shire
Shire, a poet known for her work on Beyoncé's Lemonade, wrote this fierce quote for those of us who are tired of being stepped on.
7Audre Lorde's Wisdom
"I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own." - Audre Lorde
Lorde manages to succinctly acknowledge the differences in how women of different backgrounds experience discrimination, while pointing out that we're all in this together.
8A Woman's Place
"A woman's place is in the revolution."
This one is a play on the whole "a woman's place is in the kitchen" sexist nonsense, and it makes perfect sense for that woman who is trying to lead a revolution and overturn discrimination.
9A Michelle Obama Classic
"When they go low, we go high." - Michelle Obama
Obama may not be the first lady anymore, but her words continue to inspire several generations of women.
10One More From MObama
"Our diversity of faiths, and colors, and creeds — that is not a threat to who we are. It makes us who we are." - Michelle Obama
This one was just too full of intersectional feminism goodness to pass up.
11We Built This Country
MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
"Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes." - Nancy Pelosi
Pelosi's message is one of power and hope, and I can get behind that.
There are so many other feminist quotes out there whose power you can harness — and while you're at it, consider writing your own slogans. You too can be an inspiring feminist hero.
