Rihanna, Chrissy Teigen, Zendaya and More Celebrities React to Trump Inauguration
Jaden Smith live streams, Rihanna mourns, and we can always count on Chrissy Teigen to let it rip on Twitter.
Never one to shy away from social media, Chrissy Teigenâs initial reaction to the inauguration of President Donald Trump this Friday afternoon was actually just a plain and simple, âNope.â It was a resounding ânope,â however, and has since received over 18,000 likes on Twitter.
Of course, this was followed by more verbose reactions from not only Teigen, but also Olivia Wilde, Abby and Ilana of Broad City, who provided a sketch on their Instagram, and comedians like Chris Rock and Conan OâBrien, who were far from optimistic with their jokes. Chance the Rapper, however, stayed positive with an #optimisticchallenge dance video. Meanwhile, Jaden Smith and Shia LaBeouf started live streaming LaBeoufâs four-year long âHe Will Not Divide Usâ protest at New Yorkâs Museum of the Moving Image.
And last but certainly not least, Rihanna won for best post when she uploaded a photo of Obama to Instagram with the caption: âWorst breakup ever.â
See some of the more poignant celebrity reactions, below.
Chrissy Teigen
Rihanna
Chance the Rapper
Jaden Smith
Abby and Ilana of *Broad City*
Zoe Kravitz
Conan OâBrien
https://twitter.com/ConanOBrien/status/822135351347150851
Olivia Wilde
Chris Rock
Zendaya
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Meet the Women Who Are Making the Womenâs March on Washington Happen
The executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, Linda Sarsour â a Brooklyn native, mother of three, and now one of the national co-chairs of the Womenâs March on Washington â has been working at the crossroads of civil rights, religious freedom, and racial justice for 15 years. Once an aspiring English teacher, she joined the Arab American Association in its infancy, succeeding founder Basemah Atweh, her mentor, as executive director with Atwehâs death in 2005. âI grew out of the shadow of 9/11,â Sarsour said. âWhat Iâve seen out of bad always comes good, is that solidarity and unity, particularly amongst communities of color who feel like theyâre all impacted by the same system.â
Tamika D. Malloryâs roots in community organizing and activism extend back to her early childhood: her parents were two of the earliest members of the Rev. Al Sharptonâs National Action Network nearly 30 years ago, an organization for which Mallory went on to act as executive director. But it wasnât until the death of her sonâs father 15 years ago that Mallory found her niche in civil rights and flung herself headlong into activism. Now, sheâs one of the four national co-chairs of the Womenâs March on Washington, balancing organizing the march with her day job as a speaker and civil rights advocate. âWeâre centering this march by having women to be at the helm of it, to organize it, and to be most of the speakers,â she said. âAt the same time I think itâs very important that we never forget the fact that our men, our brothers, our young brothers particularly need this support.â
Fashion entrepreneur Bob Bland was nearing the due date of her second daughter, now seven weeks old, when she posted a Facebook event calling for a march on Washington during inauguration weekend. Nine weeks later, sheâs one of four national co-chairs at the heart of the Womenâs March on Washington â where sheâll march with her infant, her six-year-old daughter, and her 74-year-old mother. âWeâre activating people who were previously content with sitting behind their computer and posting on Facebook,â she said.
For Carmen Perez, executive director of Harry Belafonteâs Gathering for Justice and one of the four national co-chairs of the Womenâs March on Washington, work permeates everything else: âThereâs no real life outside of activism,â she said. Just over two decades ago, Perezâs elder sister was killed â the anniversary of her burial coincides with the march, and with Perezâs birthday â and navigating the justice system motivated her to work with incarcerated young men and women, first as a probation officer and then with The Gathering, operating on the intersection of race, criminal justice, and immigration. âOftentimes, when Iâm in spaces, I am the only Latina and I have to speak a little louder for my community to be part of the conversation,â she said. âThe work that I do around racial justice, itâs not just about Latino rights. Itâs also about human rights.â
Californian ShiShi Rose, 27, moved to New York a year ago to develop her activism and writing. She previously worked at a local rape crisis center and assisted in educating therapists and counselors before turning her focus more squarely towards race, first via her Instagram account and then through public speaking engagements and writing. As part of the national committee for the Womenâs March on Washington, Rose runs the groupâs social media channels, from Instagram (where she has a substantial following) to Facebook. âWomen encompass everything,â Rose said. âIf you can fight for womenâs rights, you can fight for rights across the board.â
A law student-turned-actress-turned-activist, Sarah Sophie Flicker was born in Copenhagen, the great-granddaughter of a Danish prime minister who has been credited with bringing democratic socialism to Denmark. She grew up in California before moving to New York to found the political cabaret Citizens Band, eventually joining the production company Art Not War. âOnce you start breaking it all down, you realize the most vulnerable people in any community tend to be women,â she said. âAll our issues intersect, and something that may affect me as a white woman will doubly affect a black woman or a Latina woman or an indigenous woman. So when we talk about a womenâs movement, we need to be talking about all women.â
Vanessa Wruble, a member of the national organizing committee, is the uber-connector of the Womenâs March on Washington. Sheâs also the founder and editor of OkayAfrica, a site connecting culture news from continental Africa with an international audience. It was Wruble who first messaged Bland on Facebook to connect her with the women who would eventually become her co-chairs: âShe said, Hey, you know, you need to center women of color in the leadership of this so it can be truly inclusive,ââ Bland recalled. Within a day, they were meeting for coffee; now, theyâre marching together in one of the largest demonstrations in support of a vast array of causes in United States history.
Paola Mendoza, artistic director of the Womenâs March on Washington, is a Colombian-American director and writer whose work has focused on immigrant experiences, particularly those of Latina women. âWomen have never convened this way in our lifetime,â Mendoza said of the march, âand itâs being led for the first time ever by women of color.â
Janaye Ingram, who Michelle Obama once described as an âimpressive leader,â is Head of Logistics for the March, in addition to being a consultant for issues like civil, voting, and womenâs rights in Washington D.C.
Cassady Fendlay, communications director for the Womenâs March on Washington, is a writer and communications strategist whose clients include The Gathering for Justice â the organization helmed by Womenâs March national co-chair Carmen Perez. As the spokeswoman for the march, Fendlay is tasked with acting as its mouthpiece, ensuring its message is accurate, unified, and coherent.
In addition to being a producer of the march, Ginny Suss is the Vice President of Okayplayer.com and the President and co-founder of OkayAfrica â she does video production for both. Her background in the music industry runs deep, and sheâs worked closely with The Roots for the past 13 years, serving as their Tour Manager for some time. Sheâs also produced large outdoor events like The Roots Picnic, Summerstage, Lincoln Center Out Of Doors, and Celebrate Brooklyn â vital experience for organizing a march of this size.
Last year, Nantasha Williams ran for the New York State Assembly as a representative of the 33rd district â which encompasses a region just east of Jamaica, Queens. Though she lost to Democrat Clyde Vanel, sheâs putting her organizing skills to good use in the aftermath of the election, working on the logistics team for the march and assisting national co-chair Tamika Mallory.
When Alyssa Klein isnât managing the various social media accounts for the Womenâs March, sheâs writer and Senior Editor at OkayAfrica, the largest online destination for New African music, culture, fashion, art, and politics. Based in both New York City and Johannesburg, Kleinâs passion is movies and television, and has made it her profession to highlight creatives of color in both industries. Juggling social media is no easy side project, however. The Womenâs March has approximately 80,000 followers on Instagram and Twitter, plus a over 200,000 on Facebook.
Shirley Marie Johnson is the Marchâs head administrator for Tennessee, as well as an author, poet, and singer. Primarily, though, sheâs an activist and advocate for those who are victim to domestic violence, a cause thatâs not only her focus at the March, but in her day-to-day life through her group Exodus, Inc., which aids those affected by rape, human trafficking, and other abuse.
Born in Shanghai, Ting Ting Cheng studied human rights at the University of Cape Town â and became an award-winning Fulbright scholar to South Africa â before heading to New York, where sheâs now a criminal defense attorney at the Brooklyn Defender Services. All thatâs no doubt come in handy for her role as Legal Director of the March.
Heidi Solomon is one of the three co-organizers for the Pennsylvania chapter of the Womenâs March. Although she doesnât have a long background in activism, Trumpâs election moved her to take action, and sheâs helped rally approximately 6,000 people from her home state.
Deborah Harris is a grassroots organizer and feminist self-help author who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, and served as a community activist for 10 years in the fields of fashion, healthcare, at risk youth, and supportive womenâs relations.
As Illinoisâ state representative for the Womenâs March, Mrinalini Chakraborty has taken the lead in coordinating the Chicago-area charge, organizing bus rides for well over a thousand women and other supporters. Sheâs also on the National Committee and is a coordinator for all 50 states coming to D.C.. And thatâs in addition to her day job: Sheâs a graduate teaching and research assistant at the University of Illinois at Chicago for anthropology, not to mention a student and a dedicated food blogger.
After earning her Ph.D in psychology, Dr. Deborah Johnson is now studying social work at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa â and making sure she stands up for both her and her daughterâs rights at the March, which sheâs helping lead the way to for other Oklahomans.
Renee Singletary is an organizer, mother of two, wife of one, marketing consultant, and certified herbalist living and working in Charleston, South Carolina.
A yoga instructor, theater graduate, and local organizer, South Carolina native Evvie Harmon has brought her skills and energy to the march as its global co-coordinator alongside Breanne Butler. Together, they facilitate partner marches and local organizers around the world, bringing the whole thing into synergy.
