As four Guelph women prepare to head south this weekend for the Women’s March on Washington, many more local women will be rallying here at home.
Leanne Krick and Bree Woods have been keeping an eye on social media in recent days, expecting someone to organize a local version of the march. When no one did, they stepped up.
Saturday’s March on Washington in Washington, D.C. is expected to attract over 150,000 protestors the day after Donald Trump takes the White House.
The march is a way for women to loudly proclaim their commitment to women’s rights and human rights in America, North American and everywhere around the world.
A number of satellite marches are scheduled for other communities across the US and Canada, including in Toronto. Krick said many local women are not able to make it to Washington or Toronto on Saturday, so she felt it was necessary to do something here.
The Women’s March on Washington, Guelph edition, happens Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. in Market Square on Carden Street. It’s billed as an action in solidarity with the Washington event, and one rooted in “positivity, love, and kindness.” There is not actual march involved.
“Neither of us could make it to the march in Toronto, and by last Saturday it looked like nothing was going to happen here in Guelph,” Krick said. “We thought, let’s see what we can do in a short time.”
Woods and Krick have constructed a large-scale card of support which they are asking participants to sign in solidarity with women everywhere. So far, over 60 people have indicated they are going on the Facebook event, and another 160 are interested.
Krick clarified that Saturday’s event on Carden Street is simply a gathering of support.
“We are going to gather, invite people to sign the card and take a picture with the poster, and spread the word of their support,” Krick said. “We have a lot of interest. We’re hoping a lot of people want to add their voice to this.”
She added that the way the march has spread to many locales around the world is “pretty amazing.”
“It started out with a few women who weren’t happy with the changes in the American government, and it turned into this massive event,” Krick said. “It is a way to come together and say that going forward, we want equality, we want justice. It’s a great message, and it’s a universal message.”
Four Guelph school teachers are heading down to Washington on Friday, aboard a full bus departing from Toronto.
