Thousands to make their voices heard at People's March days before inauguration

As D.C. prepares for Inauguration Day, tens of thousands of activists are preparing to make their voices heard.

Days before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in at the U.S. Capitol again, several grassroots groups will descend on the District Saturday for the People’s March, which has the same organizers behind the 2017 Women’s March.

“Talking about immigration, talking about peace, talking about abortion access, talking about racial justice and reproductive justice,” said Tamika Middleon, the managing director for Women’s March.

Like previous marches, organizers say Saturday’s event is part of a long term resistance strategy to proposed policies of the incoming Trump Administration

“And so we are trying to create opportunities for people to be together, and that’s really our message, is for people to find ways for them to engage with each other,” Middleon said.

Several Metro stations and several streets will be closed Monday for the inauguration, but the 18th will also be a busy day on D.C. roads

People’s March organizers say there will be three meet up locations Saturday before they march to the Lincoln Memorial: Farragut Square, where groups will focus on democracy, immigration, climate and military; Franklin Park, a starting point for gender justice activists, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ groups; and McPherson Square, ground zero for many local grassroots organizations.

“We’re going to be specifically focusing on D.C. issues,” said Megan Salmon with Spaces in Action.

Salmon said they’ve been busy coordinating with local volunteers ahead of Saturday, and even though a lot has changed since Trump took office in 2017, their commitment to the cause hasn’t — and they’re ready for what’s next.

“Organizers have been preparing for a moment like this for way longer than it was talked about, so it wasn’t just since the election, it wasn’t just since the campaign trail,” Salmon said. “I do think that the resistance is strategic, but I do think that’s not just a reflection of the moment we’re in. I think it’s a longer term fight.”

All of those groups are set to meet up at the Lincoln Memorial, and that big rally is scheduled to go from about 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.