Saturday the Women’s March hits the streets of Washington with the message women’s rights are human rights.   Organizers say they want to stand in solidarity with groups marginalized  by campaign rhetoric including immigrants, Muslims and the LGBT community.  Locally marches will take place in Santa Cruz and on the campus of CSUMB (KAZU’s parent intuition). 

“We want to promote unity among all backgrounds of people.  In this political climate a lot of people feel like their voices are lost,” says CSUMB Student Estefania Rodriguez.

Rodriguez and her fellow Master of Social Work classmate Jacqui Smith organized the event. 

“So we want to provide a space to address their concerns and their feelings, and that’s what we are doing, but no it is not an anti-Trump march” says Smith.

They stress the event is nonpartisan with a focus on unity and diversity.

“It seems silly to think of those two terms (unity and diversity) as liberal when to me they are just basic human rights.  Everybody deserves to be treated the same way, no matter where they come from, who they are. I  guess a life goal for me is to see those two words as non-partisan and this is a step in the right direction,” says Rodriguez.

More than 1000 people have RSVPed for the Women’s March at CSUMB.  It will take place rain or shine from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.   The march begins in CSUMB’s main quad and ends at the Otter Sports Center.

Program Itinerary

Main Speakers

·         Jane Parker – Monterey County Supervisor

·         Kate Daniels Kurz – Vice Chair, Democratic Women of Monterey

Guest Speakers

1)      Reproductive Rights: Elizabeth Winchester - Planned Parenthood

2)      Economic Justice:  Dr. Julie Altman – MSW Director

3)      Violence Against Women: Deborah Pembrook – Women’s Outreach Worker

4)      Racial Justice: Regina Mason – President of NAACP and founder of the Village Project

5)      LGBTQ: Kristine Baker - Rainbow Speakers

6)      Constitutional Equity - Karen Araujo - ACLU's Awardee Recipient

7)      Yolanda Pruitt – Ladies First, Inc.

Youth Speaker

·         Fernanda Ocana – Co-founder of Epicenter, Community Activist and Community Safety Program Coordinator for City of Salinas

Entertainment

·         All-women Taiko Drumming group

Resource Fair (Service Providers):

1)      Ladies First, Inc.

2)      YWCA Domestic Violence

3)      The People for Unity and Equality

4)      Pause the Cause Advocacy Group

5)      City of Salinas Community Safety Division

6)      Door to Hope

7)      National Women’s Political Caucus