By Arielle De Bono
Elizabeth Cage had been living happily in Sydney as an American expat for 16 years and she thought her American political involvement was well and truly over, a chapter of her life she had closed in moving to Australia. That is, until the Republican nomination of Donald Trump.
"I knew I needed to go to the US and work for Hillary," she said. Cage flew to Virginia and began working as a volunteer coordinator and voter registration manager for Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Coordinators of Women's March in Canberra, Codie Bell and Lizzy O'Shea. Credit: Elesa Kurtz
After the campaign ended and the results were in she returned to Australia, feeling helpless and scared about what the future held for her home country. Many of her American and Australian friends alike shared this sentiment of impotence, fearing not only for the future of America under Trump but for what it would mean for the world at large.
When Cage heard about the Women's March On Washington planned for the weekend of Trump's presidential inauguration she desperately wanted to go as did many of her American friends who lived in Sydney. Unfortunately, they soon realised it was beyond their financial capacity.
The organisers of the March On Sydney. From right to left Mellisa Ayre, Zoe Burrell, Dr. Mindy Freiband, Laura La Rosa, Kate Taylor, Rebecca Turnbow, Elizabeth Cage, Bethany Fackler
So they discussed alternatives and eventually decided to organise their own sister event in Sydney in the hope that the Sydney march would amplify US women's calls for an end to hatred and bigotry.
Cage said she hopes the Sydney march will do more than voice anti-Trump sentiments, she believes it can also encourage Australians to take action to protect the rights of everyone in Australia and pursuing their own forms of activism.
"A lot of people felt that they wanted to take positive helpful action but were unsure of how to do that, especially here. We hope that we can unite those people under a common fight against bigotry of all kinds and renew our own and others sense of activism in 2017" Cage Added.
The Sydney March is timed to support the Women's March on Washington, which was organised by women in reaction to the election of incoming US president, Donald Trump, who has been accused of multiple counts of sexual harassment.
Elizabeth Cage is bringing the fight to Australia.
The US and Australian organisers are also calling on people to protest against hate crimes and the oppression of minorities that are reported to have increased in the wake of the US election.
After US retiree Teresa Shook broadcast her call for women to march on Washington immediately after the US election results were announced, marches have been organised 15 countries. Marches have also been organised in Melbourne and Canberra.
"Although Australians are more liberal than Americans," Cage said, "It's important to draw attention to the risks of being too complacent, which are universal. I hope that this march will make Australians more aware of the importance of keeping a watchful eye on the bigoted elements that exist in every society, and to remember that we must not take for granted that they can never win."
Political commentators in the US, the UK and Europe have drawn parallels between Brexit, Trumps election and the rise of right wing parties and candidates in countries like France, Austria and the Netherlands.
The Sydney Women's March organisers are inviting everyone who champions social justice issues - people of all genders, cultures and religions - to join them and send a message that Australia is paying attention and will not stand silent as hatred, bigotry and misogyny are normalised. The march, they say, will not just target issues of gender and sexism, but will also voice support for the rights of all vulnerable minority and immigrant communities.
In the United States, more than 125,000 people have reportedly now signed up to join the March. Marching on Washington is a feature of American civil rights activism. It was at an event often called "The Great March on Washington" in 1963 that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a Dream" speech, now seen as a pivotal moment in the fight for racial equality in the US.