Women stand together in fight for equal rights
The Women’s March in Sacramento on Jan. 20 was the second march for the city, and the numbers rose to more than 35,000 participants this year. The march started at Southside Park and ended at the Capitol Building, where the event held speakers who advocated for their beliefs on rights and equality.
Angelique Ashby, a city councilmember for the city of Sacramento, described the march as a collective effort.
“The march was the largest that we know of in city history,” Ashby said. “With more than 35,000 participants, the event serves as a collaborative catalyst — bringing people together. It’s not isolated to Sacramento. Marchers came from all over the six county regions with a unifying message of hope and partnership for a better, more equal future.”
Ashby emphasized that together, women and those in support of women’s rights can bring underlying issues toward the surface.
“When elected officials see tens of thousands of women and their allies joined in a message of equality, it helps drive a dialogue through the media and the collective voice of an overwhelmingly large population,” Ashby said.
The march served as an outlet for women to come together to let their voices be heard.
“It’s rare and unique for so many people to gather,” Ashby said. “That matters. It has an undeniable impact on policy discussions.”
Ashby was also a speaker at the end of the march. As the only female councilmember of Sacramento, she rallied the crowd, addressing them as an army to reach for equality.
“Look around you — this is our army — our weapons are education, law, experience, talent and an unrelenting spirit driving us towards equality,” Ashby said.
Marianna Rivera, a march attendee, stated that she participated to advocate against all oppressions.
“We are here to be recognized and to have our rights recognized,” Rivera said. “We are here to fight against all oppressions, from sexism to racism. As women of color, we still have to fight racism. Part of our reality is dealing with all of those things. We’re marching for unity to show our strength and show our resistance.”
Xico Gonzalez, a political artist, gave out his art prints featuring different activist women, such as Angela Davis and Frida Kahlo, to participants at the march.
“I have been doing political art and graphics for the past 20 years,” Gonzalez said. “The main focus is to empower and to provide a voice for the voiceless through the arts. I feel good. I’m also a high school teacher, and I work right across Southside Park. I saw a very diverse crowd from just walking from there to here. Hopefully this is a really good march and we make a statement.”
Nicola Smith, another one of the women at the march, repeated that she is a fighter for equal rights.
“I’m fighting for equal rights for women, and I’m fighting for people rights,” Smith said. “I’m happy that there are so many women here and young women that are doing this as well.”
Deborah Jory, another participant, noted that she felt ready to continue doing more, even after the march.
“I came to the march today because I’ve been dissatisfied with what’s going on with our government for a long time,” Jory said. “I just want to show my support for all the women here. It’s energizing to know that you’re not alone. I do not think you get to a certain age as a woman and have not experienced some type of bias or abuse or discrimination. I feel more energized to do more.”
The Sacramento march was one of the 673 “sister marches” across the world.
Written by: Stella Tran — city@theaggie.org
