Can one person change the world? Quite possibly, but in numbers, change is much more attainable.
In downtown Los Angeles’s Pershing Square, 15,000 individuals of various ages and backgrounds convened for a call to action. On Saturday, March 8, protests in support of women’s rights took place globally.
This year, the Women’s March coincided with International Women’s Day, and protestors raised their voices in solidarity for various issues and groups beyond just women’s rights.
According to veteran activist Noemi Atilano, she said, “I am protesting every injustice—women’s rights, immigrant rights, disability rights—any rights that are currently under threat in this administration.”
Atilano hopes to motivate others to join in and help protect women’s ability to self-govern their bodies by showing up and contributing her voice.
Fellow protestor, Emily Hodgson said, “abortion isn’t just about not wanting to have a baby. Sometimes, it’s medically necessary if you have an ectopic pregnancy or another health condition going on with the mother. When you restrict a woman’s right to choose, you are also taking away her fundamental safety and healthcare.”
Hodgson donned a dress to the march with writing on it stating, “Roe v. Wade is Pro-Life,” along with fake blood around the area of her sexual organs and the names of several women who have suffered or died because of restricted access to abortion care.
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned on June 24, 2022, by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the federal constitutional right to an abortion was removed, and ongoing legislative actions have resulted in 14 U.S. states restricting or banning a woman’s access to abortion.
Upon marching to City Hall, attendees flooded into Grand Park to hear Women’s March Founder, Emiliana Guereca, introduce speakers such as LA City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, grassroots organizer Dolores Huerta of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, Cal State Los Angeles Chicanx Latinx Lecturer Leda Ramos, and several others deliver impactful speeches to both inspire and support one another in the fight for a feminist future that is both intergenerational and intersectional.
Josephine Tidwell teaches about history, including women’s history and wore a women’s suffragette outfit to the Women’s March to remember the women who came before us, including her mother, who was also an activist who fought for women’s rights and whom she is now following in her footsteps.
By occupying downtown LA, Tidewell hopes, “… we are not alone. I think social media makes us really isolated these days. When we come together, it shows us we are not alone, and there are other people that get you, and we are going to try to help each other. We are here, our voices are here, and we’re not going to stop.”
