WASHINGTON, DC — AS Donald Trump assumes office as the 47th President of the United States, parts of the population are voicing concerns about potential threats to freedom of speech, reproductive rights, and challenges arising from proposed tariffs.
Since Trump's election, the Women’s March, a non-governmental organization, has been vocal about the implications of "Project 2025," an initiative aiming to reshape the structure and operations of the federal government.
On Saturday (Jan. 18), the organization led a protest of more than 40,000 people through downtown Washington, culminating at the Lincoln Memorial. Timeka Middleton, Managing Director of the Women’s March, spoke to SKNVibes News on the sidelines of the demonstration about the issues driving their activism.
Middleton emphasized the group’s concerns, which include misinformation, disinformation, immigration, and reproductive rights, as they prepare for the impact of the new administration’s policies.
“So for us, we've been focusing a lot on misinformation and disinformation and how we fight that, how we train people to fight that. We've been focusing a lot on protection against misogynist violence. So we've been training folks, doing women's self-defense training, training folks on how to organize women's protection teams.”
The Women’s March has staged multiple rallies nationwide since Trump’s election in November, citing concerns about policy positions held by the incoming administration.
“And then we've really, beyond that, been focusing on how we build a movement to fight. And so this is really a culmination of a big part of that, which is to build a broad-based coalition across multiple issues, across race, class, [and] gender, that can bring in as many people as possible to be in and stay in the fight. So those, yeah, that's what we've been up to, and that's what we got here,” Middleton explained.
Although the administration’s "America First" agenda primarily emphasizes domestic priorities, its policies are expected to have far-reaching global impacts. These include potential tariffs and mass deportations that could disproportionately affect Caribbean nations and other vulnerable regions.
Reports suggest that the Trump administration has reached out to Caribbean territories regarding their potential role in housing deportees from third-party countries unwilling to repatriate their citizens.
SKNVibes News asked Middle about the potential implications of mass deportation on economically fragile Caribbean states that may struggle to accommodate large numbers of deportees.
“I have deep concern around the immigration system here and the ways in which, you know, we militarize and weaponize the border. And also [how we] are very selective in terms of who gets to come in search of a better life and who doesn’t,” Middle said.
She continued, “And also the reality of the ways in which American foreign policy has impacted so many countries from which people are coming and at its root are the reason why so many people are coming here. So all that to say that, you know, we are essentially in opposition to the policies. And we hope to be rolling out some trainings for our base on how to support immigrant communities as well.”
The new administration is expected to address immigration policy swiftly, with President Trump likely to sign an executive order targeting so-called “sanctuary cities.” These cities, which include New York and Chicago, host large Black, Latino, and Caribbean populations and are expected to face increased scrutiny from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The economic fallout from these policies remains uncertain, and many now await the actions of the Republican administration regarding immigration and their impact on communities both at home and abroad.
