In the News

‘Why I March’ photo book serves as Women’s March reminder

This article was originally published on amny.com 

TIf you would like to purchase the Why I March book please visit abramsbooks.com  

More than a month after millions of people marched throughout more than 80 countries on all continents to stand up for women’s rights, the momentum for the largest peaceful protest in U.S. history continues to grow.

The latest effort comes in book form: “Why I March: Images from The Women’s March Around The World” is the first photographic tribute to Jan. 21’s Women’s March and will launch at DUMBO’s powerHouse Archway on Tuesday.

Royalties from the authorless book will be donated to non-profit organizations, including: The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, The Transgender Law Center and The Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Abrams Books editor Samantha Weiner, assistant editor Emma Jacobs and designer Najeebah Al-Ghadban collaborated in the week that followed the Women’s March to create this physical reminder of the day, working on the project in their Flatiron office on Jan. 28, as New Yorkers protested President Trump’s executive order on immigration at JFK Airport.

“On that same Saturday, this book was drafted and assembled by three women determined to compile with urgency and immediacy a chronicle of a progressive but peaceful protest,” Al-Ghadban, a Middle Eastern Muslim woman and legal U.S. alien, writes in the book’s conclusion. “The images represented here serve as beacons of vigilance and hope. This is the steady fire that will remind us that we are never alone when we assemble. That I march in spirit, body, and word for my voice, for her voice, for every voice.”

While a continually evolving, energizing movement cannot be contained on glossy pages, the creators of the book aspire to fuel the movement with their tangible ode to a powerful day.

“It felt like it was important to capture this historic moment in time when all these people around the world really were participating in one movement. ... The fight for human rights felt really powerful for us,” Jacobs said of the book, which aimed to include images of inclusivity and diversity from around the globe.

Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, executive director of The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, will speak at the book launch and free cookies from Brooklyn’s Butter & Scotch will be served.

“It will be a celebration to remember some of the joy from the marches,” Weiner said of the event. “But it’s also to remember that there’s a lot of serious stuff going on in the world and we can stay informed and pay attention to how people are feeling and this is a positive way to channel their energy.”

Jacobs added that “this event, like the book, is to keep the momentum moving forward, to keep protesting, keep resisting. ... It’s really about giving back to the organizations doing the work of fighting every single day and we want to participate in that as well.”

Marchers are encouraged to bring their protest signs to powerHouse to be exhibited.