Women's March Wellington placard

This placard was painted by Ruby Pleasants, the daughter of Kim Griggs, one of the organisers of the Women's March on Washington in Wellington, from Parliament to Civic Square, on 21 January 2017. The Women's March was a global phenomenon which took place on the same day throughout the world featuring a broad coalition of nearly five million participants in over 600 Sister Marches in 60 countries on all seven continents. It was timed to protest the inauguration of the new United States president Donald Trump, and intended to send a message to his administration on its first day in office that women's rights are human rights.

'Sister Marches' took place across New Zealand with the largest marches in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Their mission was to 'stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families - recognising that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country' (Women's March on Washington Aotearoa New Zealand Facebook).

Social media had enabled the idea to sweep rapidly across America and around the world. The original ethos of the Sister Marches was one of solidarity with America, but shifted to a global perspective, with many marchers concerned not only by Trump's misogynistic attitudes but his effect on global politics; rising far-right populism around the world; and local concerns over citizens' rights.

Kim and Ruby held a 'placard party' to ensure there would be plenty of protest signs on the day of the march. They painted their messages with the correct pantone colours stipulated by the Women's March on Washington organisers who had designed a strong graphic identity which could be downloaded and shared anywhere in the world. Every organiser used the same branding, most notably the key image of three women's profiles in the colour sequence of orange, blue and cream. This placard was held at the head of the march in Wellington.

Placards play a significant role in protest movements, demonstrations, and in the accompanying visual record. They can inspire creativity and collaboration in their making; they can take courage to carry; they add performative drama to demonstrations; they attract the notice of media and work closely in relationship to how cameras are positioned. Many Women's March placards had a sense of humour. Humour, satire and parody were effective ways for protestors to deal with serious subjects, and helped keep protest spaces safe and non-threatening. The mass of messaging from diverse voices created compelling collective bodies of work, with many examples collected by libraries, museums and archives, including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington DC. Several online repositories have been established, including the Women's March on Washington Archives Project.

Collecting this material demonstrates the zeitgeist of this particular moment, but it also speaks to ongoing concerns about feminism and human rights. Organising committees both here and overseas are now striving to build on the success of the Women's Marches to make it a sustainable global movement. Future actions include the lobbying of elected officials.