The March for Science began from a Reddit discussion about climate-change references being removed from the White House website.
The discussion appeared in January 2017, after users noticed that climate-related material had disappeared from the newly changed White House site. An anonymous commenter, using the name “Beaverteeth92,” suggested a “Scientist’s March on Washington.” The idea quickly attracted support from other Reddit users.
Jonathan Berman, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center, helped turn the online proposal into an organizing effort by creating a Facebook page, Twitter account, and website. The Facebook group expanded from roughly 200 members to hundreds of thousands in less than a week.
The first March for Science took place on April 22, 2017, in Washington, D.C., with sister marches internationally. It advocated evidence-based policymaking and support for scientific research. The movement is sometimes mixed up with climate-specific campaigns, but its stated focus was broader: defending science, public research, and scientific literacy.