Women show solidarity in protest march

Mother Donna (left) and her daughters Dawn Marie (center) and Yana ( right) Parker used the event to celebrate Donna’s birthday.

By Ashia Glover
Outlook writer

Throngs of mostly women protesters lined Wahnish Way from FAMU Recreational Center to Gaines Street, carrying signs and chanting to voice their dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump in a show of their appeal for women’s rights.
Despite threats of a thunderstorm, an estimated crowd of 16,000 turned out, including men who showed their support of the Tallahassee Women’s March. The march was in conjunction with the Women’s March in Washington, which drew hundreds of thousands.

 
Similar marches were held in New York City, Miami, Houston and other cities. Organizers estimated that more than 4 million people participated in marches for the same cause around the world.

 
The march clearly was women’s response to comments Trump made about women during the recent campaign that led to his election Trump also made derogatory remarks about Mexicans and Muslims.
“I am really scared of Donald Trump,” said 20-year-old Caite Delucchi. “I’m scared of his disciples. I’m scared of the people he’s appointed. I’m scared that he’s being backed by all Republican everything. I’m scared for what that means for me, my body, my family, my friends who are people of color (and) my friends who are not straight.

 
“I am so scared and I just want to make sure we don’t take this back.”

 
Delucchi’s boyfriend, Tyler Byrd, stood nearby to offer her support.

 
“Women’s rights are human rights” Byrd said. “I feel like I’d be a really big hypocrite to support the Black Lives Matter movement, and not support women’s rights, gay rights and other forms of people fighting for equality.”

 
The march was reminiscent of the 1960s when protesters took the streets around the country to show solidarity for women’s rights. Just like back then, a large number of men –young and old — joined the protest.

 
“I wholeheartedly support the feminist movement,” said Rodgers. “I believe in equality whether it’s equal pay, its pro choice or anything like that. I’m going to sign any petition; I’m going to get involved with protests and rallies.

 
“I’m going to be there when they need me. The change starts with the people, the people who don’t have it and I’m willing to help whenever they need me.”

 
Most of the signs carried by the protesters were hand-made. Some were straightforward like the one that read, “Women’s rights are human right. Then, there was one that read, “Not up for grabs,” a reference to Trumps’ comments during the presidential campaign about groping women.

 
Mother Donna and her daughters Dawn Marie and Yana Parker used the event to celebrate Donna’s birthday.

 
“She wanted to make to make this day about protesting,” Yana said. “The three of us decided that we like our birth control, we like our rights, so let’s protest.”

 
Birth control and abortion have long been an issue that women want to have more say-so. They used the stage Saturday for just that.

 
“What brought me here were women’s rights and the fact that a bunch of old men think that they can control our bodies,” said Dawn Marie, carrying a hand-made sign say that read “Think outside my box.”

 
As a mother of two young women, Donna had her own agenda for wanting to celebrate her birthday at this protest.

 
“I’m disappointed and surprised (by the government). This is the 21st century,” she said. “As a mother of two young women we need to be more educated as a nation. As a nation that prides itself on education we are very uneducated.

 
“Still very racist and very sexist and we use the Bible as an excuse when we want to practice our racist and sexist acts. Once we (women) become independent then I think we can make greater progress and hopefully my grandchildren won’t have to go through this.”

 
There was an obvious sense of empowerment, as the event brought together people of different races and ethnic backgrounds together. Bianca Baez, a Dominican, was there to be a voice for her people.
“I march because it is important for Trump and his cabinet to know that especially Dominicans and other foreign races,” she said. “We are here and we have (proven) skills. We are here studying and working our butts off so it’s really amazing to see today in Tallahassee that everyone is together. We have men, we have women, we have kids, we have the LGBT community, and it’s amazing.”