Ferguson is guest speaker at Jan. 18 Women+s March Wenatchee

Jan. 7--WENATCHEE -- Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is making a repeat appearance at this year's Women+s March Wenatchee.

The Jan. 18 event starts with a rally at 10 a.m. at the Numerica Performing Arts Center, followed by a march along the 1-mile route making the loop along Mission Street and Chelan Avenue between Second and Yakima streets, circling back to the PAC.

All residents are invited to participate, organizers said in a press release, including men and boys, people of color, immigrants, people of all gender identities, ethnicities, ages, abilities, religions and sexual orientation.

The local rally joins events across the country and around the world designed to raise awareness about climate justice, immigrant rights and reproductive freedom. The slogan for the Global Women's March is "Women's Rights are Human Rights and Human Rights are Women's Rights."

This is the fourth year for the Wenatchee event. The first event, on Jan. 21, 2017, had about 1,700 participants.

"The first event was held after the inauguration of President Trump as tensions rose due to his statements considered anti-women or otherwise offensive to a number of different demographics," said Ashley Sinner, a member of the group. "The goal of the annual marches is to advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women's rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights, the environment, LBGTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, worker's rights and tolerance."

Ferguson attended last year's march, speaking about ongoing legal action against Trump administration policies. Other speakers also are expected.

"We work to elevate the level of understanding and encourage the participation of all, especially marginalized groups," Sinner said. "If we do not prioritize the most vulnerable voices, then we will not succeed as a movement. We recognize that this is a continuation of the work marginalized groups have been fighting for decades. This march will serve as a catalyst for people to get more involved with their communities."

For information, visit the organization's Facebook page.

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