Women March for Human Rights

Occurring only one day after Donald Trump’s inauguration, on Jan. 21, over 40,000 people peacefully marched for women’s rights in downtown San Diego. This march was in solidarity with the Women’s March in Washington DC. The one mile march began at 10 am at the San Diego Civic Center Plaza, and ended at the County administration building.

All genders, ethnicities, and ages marched in the San Diego Women’s March. Despite the rain and backed up transportation, marchers moved in unity and created an inclusive and purposeful environment where nothing would stand in their way. These marchers firmly believe women’s rights are human rights and resist ostracism.

The major partners of the Women’s March include Planned Parenthood, San Diego NOW (National Organization for Women), Center for Community Solutions, Run Women Run, Nextgen, ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), and Moms Demand Action. These organizations support women by giving women access to reproductive health care, encourage feminist ideals and make beneficial efforts to end sexual violence. This march also encouraged the public to donate to these organizations and the marchers signified their importance throughout the walk.

Though this march was only one mile, the word spread by the marchers will extend to immeasurable distances. The marchers carried signs that read, “Love trumps hate” and “Women’s rights are human rights.” They also sang the Star Spangled Banner in unison and even participated in a drum circle to make their voices heard.

The Women’s March in downtown, as well as the smaller ‘sister march’ in San Marcos, were just two of the many marches across the nation. In California alone, there were marches in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. More than 1 million rallied at women’s marches across the globe and undoubtedly, more than 1 million individuals impacted the nation for years to come.