Women's March rally planned in downtown Wooster
For the third time since the 2016 presidential election, women and their supporters all across the globe will flood the streets this month to stand up for a variety of human-rights, health-care, safety and environmental issues.
Locally a gathering is planned in downtown Wooster for Saturday, Jan. 19 from 1-3 p.m. at the central intersection of East Liberty and Market streets.
“This rally is important for everyone. It is open to men, women, children and students. It is open to anyone, whatever their political affiliation, who supports the issues being presented,” Linda Houston said. “It is a bipartisan gathering.”
Houston, one of the event organizers, has a long history of community engagement and activism. She was elected to city council in 1988 and served for eight years. Since that time she has been active in numerous community organizations and received many awards for her efforts on behalf of a variety of issues, groups and causes.
After decades of community service, Houston is at the forefront of organizing the upcoming event. “I do this because I’m a woman and I’ve got to do it,” she said. “I would love to be at the Washington, D.C. rally, but many of us don’t go on the bus.”
Wooster resident Susan Riedner is another one of the event planners. “These are troubling times in our country,” she said. “The integrity of our voting is in question. Climate change is becoming more and more evident. Our president is tearing down environmental standards. Our government separates children from their families. There is uncontrolled gun violence. There is no compromise in our Congress. There is fear that our democracy is under threat.”
A Women’s March movement was born out of the initial women’s gathering that happened all over the world on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after the presidential inauguration.
Since that time the organization has rallied on the front lines of a variety of issues.
Houston said some of the issues to be addressed at the local rally include immigration, health care, treatment of women, stewardship of the environment, safety, the protection of civil and human rights, and other topics.
Additionally she said concerns include the idea that democracy and constitutionality are under attack and that untrue statements regarding issues such as health care for everyone and who is actually crossing the border are being accepted as truth by many presidential supporters.
The event also will celebrate the election of a historic number of diverse women elected to Congress, including the first two Muslim women and the first two Native American women.
A variety of speakers are expected locally. Currently confirmed is Wooster resident Laura Burch of Wooster-Orrville Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. Burch will speak about firearms safety.
“Some of the things we hope will come from this gathering are that people will become more active in speaking up and out by writing factual letters to the editor to the Wooster Weekly and other publications and by calling elected officials to make their concerns known,” Houston said. “We also hope more women will run for elected office: locally, statewide and nationally.”
“This year we are fortunate we can congratulate so many women who won elections,” Riedner said. “We can truly say that there has arrived a women’s wave. We look forward to those elected who will work for justice reform, clean energy, comprehensive immigration reform including a program for dreamers, common-sense firearm safety, health-care reform, reproductive freedom, voting security and voting availability.”