A lot at stake’: Women’s March organizers gear up for 4th year

Austin American-Statesman (TX)

Organizers of the Austin Women's March -- now a rally at the Capitol in its fourth year -- are preparing for what they hope will be thousands of people Saturday.

Don't expect a similar crowd size to the 50,000 people who filled downtown for the first Austin Women's March on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration. That was the largest demonstration in Austin's history and one of many around the country that have been collectively called the largest single-day demonstration in American history.

But this year's rally, which will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at the Capitol, could be the second largest gathering for the Austin event, according to Jill van Voorhis, president of the group Women's March on Texas Capitol.

The first march was driven by "political angst," said Shellie Hayes-McMahon, a Women's March organizer and vice president for political action at Black Austin Democrats.

"It was a reaction to the administration coming to power," Hayes-McMahon said. "Now, we realize that women have to vote. Our speaker lineup is focused on the issues that affect women throughout all communities."

Organizers attribute much smaller crowds in 2018 and 2019 to the multiple political protests organized all year.

Van Voorhis, however, said she doesn't see the annual event as any less important than it was to their cause in its first year.

"This really does center around women's rights and women's issues," van Voorhis said. "That is the catalyst."

A 2018 Stanford-University of Pennsylvania study, which analyzed 30 years of data, found that both liberal and conservative demonstrations can effect U.S. House elections.

On average, a wave of liberal protesting in a congressional district can increase a Democratic candidate's vote share by 2% and reduce a GOP candidate's share by 6%, according to the study. A wave of conservative protests, like those by the tea party in 2010, on average reduces the Democratic vote share by 2% and increases the Republican share by 6%.

The Women's March movement nationally spurred greater numbers of Democratic candidates. The study pointed to the record number of women who marched and decided to run for Congress as Democrats.

A year after the first march, organizers focused on women running for office. And in 2019, pro-abortion rights policies and economic policies affecting older women were at the center of the Austin rally.

This year's march marks a century since the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which established women's right to vote, and comes in the midst of a presidential election year.

"We realize that the fight is bigger now," Hayes-McMahon said. "The fight we're in for 2020, there's a lot at stake."

This year, the Women's March will focus on a number of topics and include a more diverse group of speakers, Hayes-McMahon said.

"We are elevating the voices of black and brown women," she said. "Some of the issues, even from the first march, were that we didn't have enough balance as it pertains to women of color."

Speakers will cover a variety of issues, from immigration to climate change to LGBTQ rights. And, like in previous years, there will be a focus on getting more people out to vote.

State Rep. Celia Israel, an Austin Democrat who will speak at the Austin event for the first time on Saturday, said she expects a larger turnout in a presidential year.

"I think in the age of #MeToo, in the year of what we think is going to be a very high voter turnout, I want Texas women to know that their voice matters," she said. "I also need them to stand up and vote.

Israel will join roughly a dozen speakers at the rally, including Democratic congressional candidate Wendy Davis; City Council Members Alison Alter and Delia Garza; Dyana Limon-Mercado, the interim executive director for Planned Parenthood Texas Votes; and Courtney Santana, CEO of the Survive2Thrive Foundation.

"No one wants to feel like they're operating in a vacuum," Israel said. "When women come together, big things happen."

___

Visit Austin American-Statesman, Texas at www.statesman.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.