Annual Women’s March in Walnut Creek

By EMMA GOULARTE

Signs that demonstrated some of the main points women are working to fix, the shame brought with being sexually assaulted and abortion (our bodies are our bodies and we can do what we want with them)

In 2017, the day after Donald Trump was inaugurated to become the President of the United States, there was a march. It wasn’t a march celebrating him, rather a march to stand up against him and the objectification of women all around the world. The first march took place on January 21, 2017 in Washington DC, which lead to a nationwide movement of marches every year in larger cities such as San Francisco, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and more. According to the New York Times, approximately 5.2 million people came together throughout the United States in over 650 protests just this year. These marches are demonstrations with the goal of achieving women’s rights, LGBT rights, gender equality, racial equality, and even more.

Trump Sign, a main part of the march was protesting Trump and wanting to get him out of office

On January 18, 2020, there was the annual women’s march on the day Trump was inaugurated four years ago. There were multiple cities holding demonstrations including some closer to Benicia. These places include San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, and Alameda. The march in Walnut Creek was the third year they hosted a march in Civic Park. The rally began at 10:30 am and the march later followed, beginning at 11:15 am. According to ABC 7, there were over 1,000people attending. Several had signs ranging from women’s rights to climate change to wanting Trump out of office. There were booths all through the park supporting upcoming presidential candidates, areas to sign petitions (such as gun restrictions, gerrymandering, census forms), booths helping raise awareness on climate change, and many more.

The Women’s March in Walnut Creek started in Civic Park

The first part of the demonstration consisted of speeches from multiple strong, empowered women who all have the same goal: to get equal rights for all women. When we say everyone is equal, that’s not just voting; that includes equal pay, equal job opportunities, and many more opportunities. This later led to the beginning of the march in the streets. The march consisted of walking about 10 blocks which was around one mile, and then everyone had the opportunity to buy merchandise supporting the cause. The proceeds go to Women’s March 2020, and donations support the growth of future marches.

A sign a man had about why he came to the march and why he believes it is important

Marching is a place where you can peacefully have your voice heard by many others who . share the same opinion as you. Marches are a way to share that there is a problem and that we need to do something about it. Participating in marches is a way to feel like not only you have a voice, but that you aren’t alone. They can also make you feel like you are making a change in a positive direction. Do you want to make a change? If you are interested, you can start by making your voice heard by marching in upcoming events. You can find out when there are marches in your area by visiting womensmarch.com.