Hundreds brave snow for Ogden rally in solidarity with Women’s March

Jan. 22--OGDEN -- Hundreds of Northern Utah residents braved snow, slick roads and a FrontRunner train collision Saturday to assemble in downtown Ogden in the name of Unity.

The Northern Utah Unity Rally started at Union Station, marched down 25th Street then convened at the Ogden Municipal Building steps. There, participants spoke of love for their country, fears for the future and ways to unite their community.

The event was a sister rally to the Women's March on Washington, which saw more than 600 similar solidarity protests around the world.

"This is where it starts," said the Ogden event's organizer, Judi Amsel, to onlookers at the city building. "Each one of us has the power to make a difference."

Like rally crowds throughout the nation, the Ogden event participants wore pink cat-eared caps, carried signs and spoke of their concerns with a new President Donald Trump administration.

"It's one of the pussy hats," said Vanessa Watts of Layton, explaining the be-eared beanie. "They're in response to Trump's 'videogate' about grabbing women by the (obscenity). We're taking it back and taking ownership of it."

Watts said she made the drive north despite slick roads because she wanted to be an ally for the oppressed.

"I'm watching all these different groups of people being discriminated against systematically, and even on a personal day to day level. It's heartbreaking," she said. "We need to stand up for each other and fight for equal rights regardless of gender, sexuality identity, sexual orientation, ability, culture or religion."

The Northern Utah Unity Rally wasn't just about women. Men and children turned out to voice concerns about everything from the environment to racial equality to health care access.

In the hours between Trump's inauguration to the rally at 2 p.m. Saturday, the White House removed references to climate change and references to LGBT rights from its website. The president's first executive order took a stab at the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have vowed to defund Planned Parenthood, which provides health services to low-income women.

"We figure we need our whole community standing behind us," said Amy Wicks, a former city council member and the rally's co-organizer, the night before the event. "It's great women are getting together, and we're marching in solidarity with our friends who made it to Washington D.C. But we're also recognizing we all need to work together. That includes men, children and everybody else."

Derek Petersen of Ogden was one of many men showing solidarity at the event.

"I feel it's important to protect what I feel are basic equalities among everyone. I feel they're threatened right now and it's important to stand for them," he said.

Evelyn Wilson, 14, and her sister Miriam Wilson, 18, marched down 25th Street with their mother, Sarah Clark, chanting "yes we can" and waving to drivers honking in support. Clark drove her daughters to the event from Layton.

"I think feminism gave us a lot of things that our mothers and grandmothers didn't have," Clark said. "There's more to be done, and I'm not ready for this to be taken away from my daughters and granddaughters in the future."

Evelyn and Miriam noted some of President Trump's past comments that concern them as women, from a video of him bragging about groping women's genitalia without consent, which is sexual assault, to joking he'd like to date his own daughter.

"They're not good things at all," Miriam said. "That is not an OK thing to say."

While Saturday's rally provided an outlet for members of the community to vent frustrations and fears, the event's organizers stress that action for solidarity must continue in the months and years ahead.

"You may be frustrated with what's going on with national politics, but we have elections coming up in two years," Wicks said. "Next year we have three city council seats that are open. That's something where you can really make a difference."

Contact Reporter Leia Larsen at llarsen@standard.net. Follow her on Facebook.com/leiaoutside or on Twitter @LeiaLarsen.

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