On March 8th, 2025, National Women’s Day, a rally was held at Morristown’s municipal hall across the street from the King’s shopping center. Many local politicians including a member of the Mendham Township Committee and chair of the Morris County Democratic Committee, Amalia Duarte, Morristown’s mayor, Donna Guariglia, and candidate for the New Jersey State Assembly in the 25th District, Marisa Sweeney.
The focus of the protest has traditionally been reproductive rights since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which eliminated women’s constitutional right to abortion. However, this year, voters and protesters have become increasingly focused on other aspects of the current administration. For example, many marchers held signs criticizing billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE program, which recently eliminated roles from many federal agencies, and others advocating support for Ukraine and denouncing the United States’ recent moves in the war in Ukraine. Many also shouted after a Tesla passed in the street, yelling, “It’s not too late to sell it!” and other slogans along those lines.
The format of this year’s rally was also different; in years past, demonstrators marched into Morristown’s Green and circled it, eventually culminating in a meeting at the municipal hall. The shift from this is representative of a shift in the attitude of protesters and their approach to creating change. Amalia Duarte said, “This shows every one of you the power of grassroots activism.” This is symbolic of the theme for this year’s National Women’s Day: Moving Forward Together; unity was a large component of this gathering, with a musical performance by Wilma the Band, featuring upbeat covers of “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, and “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
This rally exemplifies the polarizing political environment in which we find ourselves. For example, throughout the protest, several drivers yelled obscenities and insults from the road, one man blaring his horn and touting, “Get a job!” This is one smaller instance of a larger phenomenon from both ends of the political spectrum: the increase in trollish behavior as people find themselves emboldened or ‘untouchable, ’ whether it be from the safety of their cars or the anonymity of a computer screen.
While this event was controversial depending on your political leaning, the prevailing message preached unity among women and was yet another example of the public being allowed to exercise their constitutional rights, an American tradition extended to all, no matter who you voted for.
