Volume V
February 2, 2017
Issue XI photos by Laila Borden
by Laila Borden and Ava Hearn On January 21, people across the world marched in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington following the day of the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. The stated intension of the march was to not only advocate for women’s rights, but for the rights of all minorities that have felt threatened by the discourse of the past election cycle including immigrants, muslims, members of the LGBTQ+ community, Native People, AfricanAmericans, and survivors of sexual assault. According to their mission statement, the Women’s March on Washington stood for democracy and diversity, recognizing that “defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.” According to the Women’s March on Washington website, approximately 5 million people participated in one of the many marches on all 7 continents (including Antarctica), 76 countries and 673 cities. Within the Women’s March movement there are several other movements that aim to bring attention to a variety of issues. One such movement is a collective group of nationwide knitters known as the Pussy Hat Project. A sea of pink hats could be seen during the marches across the world. The Pussy Hat Project provided people of the Women’s March on Washington DC, as well as other Women’s Marches, with close to 1 million pink cat eared “pussyhats to create a visual statement during the march. The project was a direct reference to the famed Trump quote, “grab them by the pussy.” Despite the Pussy Hat Project’s sarcastic response to this comment of the new president, the intention of the movement was
not to provoke president Trump or his supporters, but to take a stand for women’s rights and to “empower the pussy.” The Women’s March of Ashland was organized by co-coordinators, Sharon Dohrmann and Samae Chlewbowski. Their initial idea following the election was to organize a candlelight vigil in downtown Ashland on inauguration day, but after reaching out to the community they found that most people preferred the idea of a march. Chlewbowski and Dohrmann, like many in the Ashland community, were floored by the election and felt the need to do something in response. “The election was an eye opener that our progress towards true equality is not a given,” said Dohrmann, describing her need to take action. “I’m marching to show my support for human rights, environmental rights, and respect and dignity for all people. I’m marching to be united with my community and with the world to send a message to our leaders that our values are important and that we want to be heard.” Dohrmann stated that some of the issues she would like to highlight in Ashland will be the need for education, women’s right, the value of diversity and inclusion and the importance of protecting the planet. “We all have a First Amendment right to free speech which includes our right to assemble and we should use it to let our leaders know what’s important to us. They need to hear from us and they need to hear it often, lest they forget who they were voted in to serve,” said Dohrmann. The Women’s March in Ashland has received a
very positive response and lot of support from the community. Ashland Parks & Rec and the Police Department were all on board, and several local businesses sponsored the event. People from all over the Rogue Valley attended the march, including residents of Ashland, Medford, Grants Pass, Central Point, Klamath Falls and more. Around 8,000 people, 8 times the expected number, assembled at the Ashland Public Library on January 21. The crowd marched through downtown, ending the procession at the Lithia Park bandshell. At the bandshell there was a celebration featuring a series of speakers and musicians. The Peace Choir of Southern Oregon University performed and several female leaders in the community gave speeches, including Ashland High School (AHS) student body president Kate Joss-Bradley who received a standing ovation and enthusiasm from the crowd. Joss-Bradley and her co-president, Amelia Zeve, first heard of the Women’s March movement when Chlewbowski contacted them about speaking at the march in Ashland. Unfortunately, Zeve was not able to join Joss-Bradley in speaking at the bandshell because of a prior engagement. Nonetheless Zeve would like to encourage her peers to “be actively engaged in this country,” and to stay informed with accurate facts and data. Both Zeve and Joss-Bradley urge AHS students to stand up and use their voice. “Whether or not you agree with the authority of this country, now is the time to be empowered with yourself and create the world you want to live in,” Joss-Bradley said.