From Resistance to Reflection

you have the capacity to do. extraordinary good in the. world and so to everyone who is watching. do not despair this is not a time to. throw up our hands this is a time to. roll up our. sleeves this is a Time to organize to.

mobilize and to stay. engaged for the sake of freedom and. Justice and the future that we all know. we can build. together from The New York Times I'm. Sabrina tavernes and this is the daily. When Donald Trump won the presidency in. 2016 it prompted an outpouring of.

protests particularly by women a. movement that came to be known as the. resistance for the past 2 weeks daily. producer Lindsay Garrison has been. talking to people who were part of that. movement asking them what they're doing. after trumps win this. time. today what they said about the state of. the resistance in the next Trump era. [Music].

it's Tuesday November. [Music]. 19th hello hi Vanessa Hi how are you hey. I'm good I'm good a few days after the. election I called Vanessa rubal she. lives on 5 Acres of desert in Southern. California. [Applause].

um so what is that just making noise. right now that you're hearing in the. background you're hearing Byron who is a. parrot oh really we run a animal. sanctuary well actually it's a sanctuary. for humans and animals and we have a ton. of different kinds of animals so there. are like emu roaming around and then we. have a ton of dogs and pigs and and we. have a zebra that's a that's pretty.

intense it is intense it's a very. different life it's a very different. life than the one Vanessa was leading 8. years ago when she was living in New. York City running a company in the music. industry and thought the country was. about to elect its first woman president. I had been watching the election with. friends there was already a party. planned in Brooklyn and we had expected. to go roll out to that party and. celebrate with everyone and when things. started going south I just kept saying.

no no no no no no no no this can't. happen this is no way there's no way you. know it felt like there had been a death. in the room you know like someone had. died. and that feeling there was nothing like. it I could not believe that that was the. world we are living in and I could not. believe someone who had been accused of.

rape and sexual harassment and so on and. so forth people would have rather have. that person in the white house and I. really do think it was because she was a. woman and then I woke up the next day. and I was like well either I'm gonna lay. down and die or I'm gonna do something. about this and that anger was very. motivating so you know women everywhere. were so incredibly upset and everyone.

gathered on one Facebook page first it. started as just some Facebook group it. started so small it would be like 20. members starting a Facebook group and I. became one of the leaders of that page. what even call women's March at first. and I started pulling people in to. organize who I knew could make this. happen at that time they were looking.

for leadership positions and I felt like. okay this is what I serve this is the. oath I took to this country T Marie. Hannibal served in the Marine Corps for. 20 years she's a retired Gunnery. Sergeant I didn't go into combat for. nothing and now I'm in a space where I. feel like our rights are being taken. away even here on the. Homeland so what was the purpose of my. military service.

I felt like I had to do. something I. think at that time for me it was really. about the women's right and and I'm a. black woman so not just the veteran the. black woman in. me the woman in me prior to coming into. the Marine Corps I was that 17y old who. had an. abortion I was that child in the.

abortion clinic that was me that's my. story so for me it was more so the. women's right if that makes sense so you. thought under a trump Administration. there was a real possibility that. abortion access could be denied I knew. it I knew it that's all he pushed that's. all he talked about and so let's talk. about these things now so that it. doesn't happen let's make sure we.

advocating for these things now so that. you know it won't happen and then I'm. getting word of okay maybe we can. protest okay maybe we should. protest now. what and then from there I started. calling people that I knew in different. states to kind of help me cuz this was. definitely new to my world. house and lo and behold women veterans. started stepping up and and it just grew.

legs it just grew into something I don't. think anyone for all you know I was on. Facebook and I started seeing all the. posts because it just had started going. viral what is this what is this March. and when I got the call to action you. know we're going to March I was just. like wow I know what to do with this and. I started women's March Pennsylvania I'm. down to mobilize my state of South. Carolina take on getting Rhode Island. together at some point it just took a.

life of its own it was like this way. particularly amongst women but also with. our male allies cuz we don't do this. without our male allies people felt like. they had to try and do something about. this people are indignant people are. Furious and they I think it was rage it. was just absolute rage it was just a. sense of fire like everybody was ready. it was that we ride at midnight type of.

feel failure wasn't an option right like. you just I don't know it's just like a. bulldozzer and we were going to get this. [Music]. done on the day of the March you know I. stood on that stage and I looked out you. know and I had been kind of critical of. the [ __ ] hats and because that wasn't. like directly us that was the [ __ ] H. hat project and I'd been like oh well. that's you know a p cat that's kind of.

lame and like people felt that it wasn't. inclusive because not all [ __ ] are. pink you know it became a little. contentious and but when I got on you. know when I stood on the stage as people. came in it was like an absolute. wave of pink coming over you know. Capitol. [Music]. Hill. was astonishing.

I mean just imagine looking out at miles. and miles and miles of. people it was amazing it was just. amazing just to see just to. see did it feel like the country was. kind of on your side I mean it felt good. to be able to say okay most Americans. feel that way so I would say yeah it.

feels good to feel like okay for the. most. part when when I meet somebody else I. can still hold my head up. high it was just it was. otherworldly it was. Sublime and I stood on the stage that. day and I thought like this is. absolutely incredible.

but we need to take this energy and. harness. it and create a. movement this is just the. [Music]. beginning we'll be right back. [Music].

this is just the. beginning we need to take this energy. and harness. it and so the question is what does that. look like and I think ultimately what it. looked like was you know different.

groups forming different organizations. to ensure that Trump did not have second. term after the women's March a number of. women's rights organizations sprouted up. Across the Nation march on was one of. one of those was March on a nonprofit. that Vanessa ran women win was basically. one of our slogans part of the work they. did was also raise money and campaign. for women running for office and we were. successful and two years later women got.

into office in record numbers in the. 2018 midterm elections women running and. women winning was a direct result of the. women's March and in 2020 when Trump. lost the election to Joe Biden it felt. like a Triumph to activists things were. swinging back in the right direction. when you know Biden stepped down and. then this year when kamla Harris was. announced as the new Democratic nominee. for. president for many of the women's March. organizers the feeling was electric.

stepped up there was this burst of Hope. and movement again and energy and I felt. that deeply yeah it gave us all hope. again the outcome of this election is. not what we. wanted not what we fought. for not what we voted for but hear me. when I. say hear me when I say the light of.

America's promise will always burn. bright so it was it felt again like like. there had been a. death and I was sitting with you know a. couple other women and it was just like. how has this happened. again how has this happened. again how is this the world we live in. [Music].

like why would we ever go back through. what happened we saw what. happened I was so. extremely. hopeful I even hosted a watch party for. other women veterans here and we decked. out the whole basement put up little. decorations. everything and I was the watch part in.

2016 and this year it felt the same way. now that night during Hillary's I. cried this year I did not. cry there was no fear but I was so very. disappointed so uh we wound up I think. we closed up shop at about. 11:30 they left this house so. sad so very sad. but yeah it it was it didn't hit me as.

bad because maybe I mentally prepared. for. it maybe I kind of knew it but at the. end of the day women are still looked at. as not worthy no matter what their. resumes look like no matter how many. degrees it does not. matter so I think this year I was just. defeated in knowing that yep we we.

really have not. [Music]. progressed you know you said in in 2016. there was a fire there was a fire there. was a fire I feel like this. year I feel like this year I feel like. there is a the. feat I feel like before there was hope. and now it feels very.

dark we were all. stunned I mean the first time around we. were stunned now it's like people are. catatonic I I feel like 2016 we were mad. as hell and not say we're not mad as H. now so I felt like this time was more as. a slap in the face and more particularly. for black. women because the first time and I could. say my military background has allowed.

me to see up close and personal how. people felt about Hillary Quinton and. these potential emails and the mistrust. they had of her but now it's somebody. now you didn't have any kind of. conspiracy or email gate to contend with. so now what's your. excuse and people gave the damnest. excuse from I just don't know enough. about her to nobody in Oakland really.

likes her to she's locking up our own. people so it it was such a mirage of. excuses that tells you in a nutshell it. really wasn't about any of those. things so this one. hurt a little bit more. [Music]. America did what America.

did and so what do you do with. [Music]. that I mean what do you do with that ah. my daughter's my youngest is 20 and she. voted for the first time this year and. the first thing I got back from my. youngest was I'm literally sick right. now like physically sick like how did. this happened twice.

mom like Mom what do we do next I have. no. idea so many people have asked me are we. protesting what we doing with te put me. in coach but I don't know what to put. them into I don't even know if I want to. get back out there and. protest and why don't you know whether. you'd want to get out there and protest. again this time. because what did I change the first time.

I don't know if I can really say we. achieve a. goal we may have Expos some things down. but I don't know if we really changed. history I don't know if had we not done. that would that have changed the. trajectory of what happened during his. presidency would it have been worse so. those are questions I kind of ask myself. but did we really accomplish the.

I honestly don't. know and I'm just. tired so I gotta ask myself what is. protesting what is putting on that Cape. again and getting my big old blow horn. out in. here what is that going to do for us. this time around when it did nothing in. the first time. [Music].

I really. believed that protest was the way to. affect change I mean I was I got into. Mom's demand action really active in. that for you know responsible gun. ownership and I was there protesting for. the Cavanaugh hearings and guess what it. still all happened right kavanau still. got El ction kids are still getting.

tilled in schools Row versus Wade still. got reversed here we are eight years. later and not only did Trump win but he. won the popular vote America spoke and. he won I mourn for the America that I. thought I knew I thought our country. wanted different things than him but. by a free Fair election this is what.

they want whereas before we can say we. were the majority this is not what the. country wants and we will stand against. it we don't have that mandate this time. around and at this point fighting this. Administration is fighting a democratic. election honestly My First Reactions was. you know what America pardon my French. but [ __ ] it if that's how you feel about. it have it America you voted for this. buckle.

up it's going to get bad and I'm going. to say I told you so would you consider. marching again is there talk about. marching uh yeah and it's not going over. real well I know women's March is. planning a march on January 18th they're. saying it's the people's March well you. know what the PE in my mind the people. voted for Trump when I watched K Harris. concession people were saying like. inspiring it was don't ever give up cuz.

she says that I'm like no this I don't. no no no no at a certain point no you. have to give up like I don't have the. energy or any battery left in me to do. anything other than to play for. myself and to answer your question for. me personally no I don't know any. organizer from the original women's. March that thinks marching right now is. a good idea and why don't you think it's. a good. idea to me it kind of feels like trying. to recreate something that should never.

be recreated or should have never had to. have been. recreated I don't know have you ever. this is probably a stupid analogy but. let me just bring it up have you ever. gone to a. restaurant with your partner and had. like the best. meal and then you go. back it's like it. sucked that's kind of the way I feel. about women's March right now it's like.

I can never recreate for me what that. moment was in history and in my life and. I don't want. to and now now I'm going to just do. something else I'm going more a little. more inward. um so that yeah I guess I'm I guess I'm. trying a different. [Music]. restaurant there needs to be some time. to reflect and.

regroup and really look at ourselves and. say what are we doing wrong like where. do we go from. here and what what do you plan on doing. instead I mean that's really. hard that is the question right like. well what do you do I don't know but the. answer is probably not right before us. if we jump to the conclusion right away.

and say okay well then we need to do X Y. and Z like are we not doing a disservice. to the. lesson that we should learn from. this like maybe we need to be more. thoughtful about it. and. examine how we may have played a role in. it so it's the time to reflect and. regroup. group but it's not the time to.

merch I don't think that marching will. do any good that's not the direction we. should go in. [Music].

we'll be right. back here's what else you should know. today on Monday president-elect Donald. Trump confirmed that he intends to. declare a. emergency and use the US military in.

some form to assist in his plans for. mass deportations of undocumented. immigrants Trump was responding to a. post made by the head of the. conservative group Judicial Watch that. said Trump's Administration would quote. declare a national emergency and use. military assets to address illegal. immigration through a mass deportation. program on his social media platform. truth social Trump responded with the. comment.

true Congress has granted president's. broad power to declare National. emergencies at their. discretion and Trump nominated Shawn. Duffy a former Republican congressman. from Wisconsin and Fox Business host and. whose wife Rachel campost Duffy is a Fox. News host as his choice to lead the. transportation department Trump. continued to deliberate over candidates. for several highlevel positions.

including treasury secretary a post that. will be crucial to his economic. [Music]. agenda today's episode was produced by. Lindsay Garrison with help from Sydney. Harper and Eric krupy it was edited by. Devin Taylor Ben Calhoun and Lexi di. research assistance by Susan Lee. contains original music by Dan Powell. Rowan Nimo alici eup and Marian Lozano.

and was engineered by Chris Wood our. theme music is by Jim runberg and Ben. lansberg of. [Music]. [Music]. wonderly that's it for the daily I'm. Sabrina tavernes see you tomorrow. [Music].