Return of The Women’s March 2018

The return of the Women’s March 2018 marks the anniversary of its historic inaugural year. On Saturday, January 20, 2018, millions of women and people of all genders across the country will once again raise their voices to demand equality for all humans. Alot has happened on the women’s movement front since last year’s march. Here’s a look back and what to expect this year.

The inaugural Women’s March in 2017 provided a platform for people of all genders, ages, races, cultures, political affiliations, disabilities and backgrounds to stand together to demand and defend their basic human rights. And, demand and defend they did! Women, immigrants, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, the religious and nonreligious and people of color came out in droves across the country and the globe to make their voices heard in what is known as the largest coordinated protest in U.S. history and one of the largest in world history — 5 million strong.

Since then, women’s voices continued to strengthen culminating in the ME TOO Movement and Times Up Campaign. Socially Sparked News declared women the Socially Sparked® Changemakers of 2017. Time Magazine named the Silence Breakers — the brave individuals who spoke up and started a Movement — the person of the year. Countless other media echoed these claims. What better ammunition to carry on the voices for change into 2018?

January 2018 is upon us and so is the return of the Women’s March. Whereas 2017’s goal was for women to be heard, this year the focus is to march, register to vote and get to the polls.

“#WHYWEMARCH We are empowered by the legions of revolutionary leaders who paved the way for us to march, and acknowledge those around the globe who fight for our freedoms. We honor these women and so many more. They are #WHYWEMARCH. Bella Abzug • Corazon Aquino • Ella Baker • Grace Lee Boggs Berta Cáceres • Rachel Carson • Shirley Chisholm • Angela Davis Miss Major Griffin Gracy • LaDonna Harris • Dorothy I. Height bell hooks • Judith Heumann • Dolores Huerta • Marsha P. Johnson Barbara Jordan • Yuri Kochiyama • Winona LaDuke Audre Lorde • Wilma Mankiller • Diane Nash • Sylvia Rivera Barbara Smith • Gloria Steinem • Hannah G. Solomon Harriet Tubman • Edith Windsor • Malala Yousafzai” – Women’s March

Voices will echo from the streets of New York City to the capital city on Saturday, January 20th, 2018 with the return of the Women’s March. Women will show the world once again that red, white and blue are colors of tolerance. For a list of marches in your city and state, visit the Women’s March website at http://www.powertothepolls.com/anniversary.html

NEW YORK CITY – New York City (NYC) is expected to be the largest Women’s March in 2018! If you plan to attend:

NYPD will allow marchers to begin lining up along Central Park West at 10:00AM. The rally will start at 11:30AM. The march will start directly after the rally (between 12:30-1:00).

Please be aware, for your safety, NYPD will be doing soft checks, similar to what a national museum would do. Bags are highly discouraged but allowed. Strollers and service animals are allowed. Due to funding, portable restrooms will NOT be provided.

If you want to participate, but can’t attend because of a disability, you can download one of the Adaptive Women’s March Alliance logos for free to print on paper and hang in your window or print it on fabric and hang it out your window. Adapt is of a blue handprint representing humanity with a medical cross in the middle, for an all inclusive universal symbol for people with health condition(s).

Real time updates on the day of the march will be posted on the Women’s March Alliance website. You’ll also be able to live stream the rally, get the map and download a list of post-march activities.

WASHINGTON, DC – The rally will begin at 11 a.m. with the march commencing around 1 p.m. In the event of a government shutdown, the march will continue.

Some of the speakers that will be at the event include President of the Woman’s National Democratic Club Nuchhi Currier, the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State in the Obama Administration Judith Heumann, President of the Fairfax County NAACP Kofi Annan, and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. There will also be professional soccer player Joanna Lohman and Virginia Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler.

The Route for the Women’s March on Washington, DC has not been released ahead of time. Marshals will direct marchers on the day of the event.

The Rally will begin at the reflecting pool facing the Lincoln Memorial with the march leading to the White House.

Public transportation is the best way to get to the Women’s March on Washington. The nearest Metro station is the Smithsonian station.

If bringing posters or signs, be sure that they are made of cardboard. No metal or wood posts are allowed to hold up the signs. Additionally, according to the Facebook event, tripods, chairs and tables are not allowed due to a National Park Service policy.

LAS VEGAS – On Sunday, January 21st, the Women’s March will gather in Las Vegas, Nevada for Women’s March: Power to the Polls, an event that will launch a national voter registration tour – marking the one year anniversary of the historic Women’s March on Washington. This next stage of the movement will channel the energy and activism of the Women’s March into tangible strategies and concrete wins in 2018.

The kick-off event in Las Vegas will bring together talent, musicians, grassroots activists, and elected officials to a key swing state for a large-scale gathering to celebrate the work of the past year and launch a collective 2018 Women’s March agenda.

The national voter registration tour will target swing states to register new voters, engage impacted communities, harness their collective energy to advocate for policies and candidates that reflect Women’s March values, and collaborate with their partners to elect more women and progressives candidates to office. The coordinated campaign will build upon Women’s March’s ongoing work uplifting the voices and campaigns of the nation’s most marginalized communities to create transformative social and political change.

The Women’s March 2017 Socially Sparked our nation and the globe and kick-started a unified voice that grew louder with each month. The return of the Women’s March 2018 holds great promise. Stay tuned. — Abbe is Socially Sparked! Tweet @sosparkednews & @asparks01