Hundreds of Minnesotans rally to commemorate first anniversary of women’s marches

Jan. 22--Minnesotans joined hundreds of thousands of people across the world this weekend who turned out in protests against President Donald Trump and to rally for change on the anniversary of huge women's marches last year.

St. Paul's "Hear Our Voices" event, held by Women's March Minnesota at Union Depot Sunday, sold out with 2,500 tickets purchased, organizers said.

"What are you going to do in 2018?" master of ceremonies Nancy Lyons asked the crowd. "What are you going to do to show up? Are you going to show up with your votes? Absolutely. We are going to do what we have to do to show the world our country is something to be proud of."

In Minnesota, the organizers of the event had a specific plan:

Elect women into office. End violence. Work toward environmental justice. Protect reproductive rights, as well as rights for gay and transgender people, worker's rights, civil rights, rights for people with disabilities, and immigrants' rights.

Dozens of people at the Union Depot event held clipboards signing up volunteers. Some of the groups participating included Women Resisting White Supremacists, Immigrant Law Center, Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America and HCAMN Health Care for All.

"January 21, 2018 marks the one year anniversary of the birth of the Women's March movement," organizers said. "Not only will we celebrate that moment, but we'll ask you to commit your time, your voice, your feet, and your money to making real change as we move into the 2018 elections. It is time to renew the momentum of the march and solidify the movement."

MaryAnne Quiroz was part of a group of Aztec Dancers called Kalpulli Huitzillin that performed at Sunday's event. She said the dance performance was not a show but a way to express support for the movement.

"We are here to show up in solidarity with women and support our allies," she said. "These dances are sacred dances passed on for generations, they are not for entertainment."

Sergio and Meagan Pierluissi of Minneapolis brought their daughters, age 3 and 1, to the event.

"We are standing together with a feminine voice to show the administration, the state, the country that we are here to stay so that our daughters know they are heard and have a voice," Meagan Pierluissi said.

Several celebrities led protests across the country, including actress Jane Fonda and nationally known attorney Gloria Allred, Eva Longoria, Natalie Portman, and Rob Reiner. Trump's Democratic opponent in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton, said the Women's March last year was "a beacon of hope and defiance."

"In 2018, it is a testament to the power and resilience of women everywhere," she tweeted, urging people to show that power at the voting booth this year.

This report includes information from the Associated Press.

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