Katherine Clark joins House Democrats’ walkout for ‘A Day Without a Woman’
Donning all-red in solidarity with the nationwide “A Day Without a Woman” protests, a group of Democratic lawmakers staged a walked out of the U.S. House Chamber at noon Wednesday. Among them was Rep. Katherine Clark, the Massachusetts congresswoman who has developed a reputation over the past year for her protests.
“Today we stand in solidarity with women across the globe who face the daily threat of violence and death simply because they are women,” Clark said from the steps of the Capitol Building, decrying physical and sexual violence against women, human trafficking, and female genital mutilation.
“We stand today in solidarity against this administrations draconian cuts to foreign aid, hurting the most vulnerable women in the world,” the Melrose Democrat said.
Clark’s speech followed that of Rep. Barbara Lee (around the six-minute mark in the video the congresswoman posted on Twitter).
Now LIVE for #DayWithoutAWoman & #InternationalWomensDay. We’re fighting for #PaidLeave #ReproRights #EqualPay & m… https://t.co/e4m40Ltv8M
— Katherine Clark (@WhipKClark) March 8, 2017
Clark called the proposed policies of President Donald Trump — who was accused of sexual assault by several women during the campaign — “backwards and divisive.” She specifically cited a reported proposal to cut Violence Against Woman Act grants and a plan to separate undocumented children from their parents at the border.
“We will persist and we will stand together,” Clark said.
The Massachusetts congresswoman has made a name for herself over the past year for staging protests against Republicans.
In June, Clark boycotted a Congressional moment of silence over the Republican-controlled House’s refusal to take up gun control legislation. Later that month, she helped lead a sit-in on the House floor protesting the inaction on gun policies. And earlier this year, she announced she would boycott Trump’s inauguration.
“There is nothing about this presidency and his rejection about his core American values that I want to normalize,” she told The Boston Globe, calling Trump’s views “bigoted” and “misogynist.”
According to Clark’s office, Wednesday’s walkout was coordinated by Democrats to honor International Women’s Day, the aforementioned demonstrations, and the importance of women workers to the country’s economy. No House votes were missed as a result of the demonstration.
