Logan residents and students participate in 2020 Women’s March

Gun violence prevention, climate change and support for women with disabilities were among the central themes for the Rise Up 2020 Cache Valley Women’s March in downtown Logan, Utah.

A sea of people wearing pink hats crowded around the steps of the Cache County Visitor’s Bureau on Saturday, Jan. 18 to listen to speakers and show off their handmade signs before marching around Logan’s Center Street Historic District.

March organizer Susan Jelus gave the opening welcome.

“We are part of a movement of hundreds of thousands across the country, across the world really,” Jelus said. She added she was inspired by such a large crowd that would show up on a cold Saturday to support the women’s movement.

Cache County resident Amy Hopkins was passing out her own hand-stitched “pussy hats,” or hats with cat ears, to other members of the event.

“We are here to protest the last three years of Trump,” Hopkins said. “We are rising up against injustice, against this regime.”

Anya Rushing, another resident, was at the event with her son, who held up a sign that said, “Kids for equality.” Rushing said she believes it’s time that women come together.

“We can’t be afraid to voice the need for equality, especially when it comes to reproductive rights and equality in pay,” she said.

Other event-goers echoed the need to focus on reproductive rights in the upcoming election year.

“We need to keep it in the forefront,” Cache County resident Nancy Sassano said. “Our reproductive rights and access to abortion are being attacked.”

Pat Sadoski, another resident of Cache County, said access to abortion is something people take for granted.

“We were fighting for abortion rights years ago when I was in college,” she said. “We are still fighting for it. We are not shutting up anymore.”

Maryanne Thompson, who leads the Utah branch for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, spoke to the crowd about gun violence prevention.

“We are not a gun control group,” Thompson said. “We just want to reduce violence.”

Thompson also said approximately 100 people, including three children, die every day to gun violence.

“As a woman, as a mother, this is something I want to prevent,” Thompson said.

She added that gun violence is now the number one cause of death for children and teens in Utah. Thompson encouraged everyone to support legislation for red flag laws, laws that temporarily remove a person’s firearm at the request of family or police, in Utah.

Former president of Utah State University Student Association’s I am That Girl organization Whitney Howard, talked about the issues the women’s movement should focus on for the coming year. The issues include reproductive rights, trans rights, immigration and Black Lives Matter and the evils of conversion therapy.

“When Trump was inaugurated, I really wanted to get involved,” Howard said. “This women’s movement started with ten of us just marching around the courthouse. I’m humbled by how much its grown.”

Howard said she wanted to emphasize that they were marching for men as well.

“We are marching for men to be able to show their vulnerability,” she said. “We cannot do this without men.”

At the end of her speech, Howard said she was tired of having to justify the women’s movement to other people.

“This is what democracy looks like!” Howard exclaimed.

Sarah Klain, assistant professor in the Department of Environment and Society at USU, was the next speaker.

“We are all responsible for the problems of climate change,” Klain said. “I know a lot of us feel guilty about contributing to climate change, but we just need to ‘let it go’ because shame and guilt are not going to fuel change.”

Klain, who is pregnant with a baby girl, said the inversions in the valley have been especially difficult during her pregnancy.

“It’s all so toxic,” Klain said. “We need to take on the fossil fuel industries and vote and support politicians who care about climate action.”

Marching for women with disabilities was an important part of the event.

“Women with disabilities are more harshly impacted by gun violence and climate change,” said Jennie Ostermiller, youth coordinator and sexual educator at Options for Independence. “Women with disabilities are also the largest and most silent minority group.”

Many attendees wore a placard that read, “Proxy marcher 1 for 2.” Other individuals marched for disabled women who could not march themselves.

Kate Robinson, an environmental studies student at USU, gave a quick speech on the issues surrounding mental health.

“It can take up to eleven years after the onset of the disease before someone seeks treatment,” Robinson said. “You should not have to be in a crisis before you seek help.”

During the march, Robinson walked with event-goers holding a sign that said, “Destroy the patriarchy, not the planet.”

“It just means that we need less oppressive government and more change,” Robinson said.

For the march, attendees walked on 200 North, Main Street and Center Street, chanting, “Donald Trump has got to go” and “This is what democracy looks like.” Dozens of signs were displayed with messages from Planned Parenthood, and themes like “I’m with her” were waved at cars as drivers passed on Main Street.

“My goal for this march is to support women with disabilities and close the wage gap,” Logan resident Madi Elliott said as she marched on 200 North.

Another Logan resident, Cindy Koerner, said she had many concerns about women’s rights.

“I am glad I came to this march today because I wanted to be with like-minded people,” Koerner said. “Each one of us can make a difference and respect women’s choices.”

The Women’s March group will meet again on Feb. 22. More information will be available on their Facebook page next month.

— taylorcripe@gmail.com
@cripe_taylor