The San Diego Women’s March was a rousing and inspiring success!Up to 40,000 attended, ready for rain but rewarded with surprisingly little of it. Spirits were high, and camaraderie and warmth were in abundance.
Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest led a large contingency of supporters and employees, happy to contribute to the cause. 1,650 people signed up to march with us — we represented in masses of pink and gray Planned Parenthood t-shirts!
“I want people to know that there’s hope,” said Pam Becker, director of major gifts and events for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. “Sometimes I feel like I’m fighting this by myself, and that is so not true.”
There were also big turnouts for the marches in North County and Riverside County, with large and supportive crowds. The North County march drew 4,000 supporters, while the Riverside Women’s March drew a crowd of 5,000 with more than 120 people signing up to march with Planned Parenthood there.
“We saw several handmade pro-Planned Parenthood signs out. It was incredible!” Said Jacque Casillas, community and government relations manager.
The marches were conducted in solidarity with the huge Women’s March in Washington D.C., which had a turnout far higher than the inauguration. Over 600 marches in the U.S. and over 60 marches around the world showed solidarity with women’s rights and the causes that are essential to all of our lives.
We came. We marched. We made history. Now, we need to keep the fight going.
We are called to fight back, arm-in-arm with supporters, because there are people out there who don’t trust us to make decisions about our own bodies and they’re dead set on shutting down not just health centers — but our voices. Millions strong, in cities and towns around the world, we said it loud and clear: We will defend ourselves, Planned Parenthood, and the freedoms we deserve.
Onward!
Please visit our Facebook page to see photos of the San Diego Women’s March.
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