Next week’s “Free America Walkout” is asking Americans to walk out of work (and school) on Tuesday, January 20, to disrupt “business as usual” in protest of the Trump administration’s recent actions and policies, including its treatment of immigrants, attempts to curb democracy, recent abuse by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, and the recent fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
The protest’s main organizers are the Women’s March. The group came to prominence the day after President Donald Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, when it organized a massive nationwide protest, drawing hundreds of thousands of Americans to Washington, D.C. At that time, the protest on January 21, 2017, was the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.
Now, nearly nine years later—almost to the day—the Women’s March is back, marking the one-year anniversary of Trump’s second inauguration.
“On January 20, we’re calling on people everywhere to turn their backs on fascism and walk out,” Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of Women’s March, tells Fast Company. “Authoritarianism runs on our obedience, and we’re withdrawing it. We walk out because a free America is the only America worth calling great.”
By disrupting “business as usual,” organizers explain they are sending a message to the administration that its actions will not be tolerated. “This is a protest and a promise. In the face of fascism, we will be ungovernable,” the Free America website says.
Here’s what to know.
What’s happening on Tuesday, January 20?
More than 450 events are scheduled in all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Canada, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Walkouts, sit-downs, vigils, and meetups are set to take place in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Boulder, Houston, New York City, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland (Oregon and Maine), San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Tucson, and Washington, D.C.
These include school walkouts; marches to federal buildings, city halls, local court houses, and capitals; and more.
Why a walkout, not a march?
“Marches show how many people care. Walkouts show how much power we have,” the website says. “And we have seen the power of walkouts around the world—people from Poland to Chile who have fought peacefully and successfully to dismantle injustice and topple authoritarian regimes.”
“At this moment, visibility alone isn’t enough,” the website continues. “We need action that tests our strength, builds coordination, and proves that noncompliance is a legitimate response to injustice.”
Historically, walkouts and sit-ins—alongside protests—have been an effective nonviolent tool to create change. From the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements to the current New York City nurses’ strike, workers, students, teachers, and ordinary Americans have walked off the job and sat in protest to register their discontent.
Who else is helping to organize the Free America Walkout?
The day’s events are organized by the Women’s March organization along with 50501, a progressive grassroots movement, with a coalition of national and local partners including Feminist, Free DC, and the Immigrant Rights Committee in Tampa.