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10,000 Knoxvillians gathered together on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018 in remembrance of 2017’s Women’s march. Stu Boyd II / The Daily Beacon
Knoxvillians rally, march for equality Kylie Hubbard
Asst. News Editor
Annie Tieu
News Editor “What do we want? Equality! When do we want it? Now!” This chant bellowed out of the mouths of approximately 10,000 Knoxvillians of every age on Sunday afternoon, filling the air in downtown Knoxville. Cities across the nation gathered in solidarity Saturday, Jan. 21 in remembrance of 2017’s march. Marches also took place across the country on Saturday, Jan. 20 in cities including Nashville, Chattanooga and New York City. “This is the first year anniversary of the Women’s March on Washington, so we’re calling this Women’s March 2.0.,” Kendy Altizer, treasurer of the Women’s March Coalition East Tennessee and former president of the UT Women’s March Coalition, said. “Everything was kind of new, and we weren’t really sure what was going to happen with this administration, and, well, now we know. So this year’s message is: We’re not going anywhere. Women are here;
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we want equal rights; we want equality for everybody, not just for us, and that’s really, really important. We support everybody who has been disenfranchised in one way, shape or form.” Protesters gathered in Krutch Park to rally prior to the march with addresses from Mayor Madeline Rogero and city councilwomen Stephanie Welch, Lauren Rider, Gwen McKenzie and Seema Singh-Perez. Rogero acknowledged the work of the women on stage and proclaimed the importance of their place in the city council. “It is an honor to share a stage with such strong, courageous women,” Rogero said. A record number of men and women ran for open council seats in 2017 with 11 of the 30 being women. The council had one woman member before the elections, but four now hold city council seats, something that Rogero praised with “you did it!” Rogero also mentioned the #MeToo movement and explained how important it was to speak up. “Me Too will come to represent something new. Not what happened to us, but what we did about it,” Rogero said. “Me Too will come to mean: I got involved — me too.”
The crowd was then led in a “Me Too” chant by Rogero, which emphasized involvement and activism. Along with Rogero’s acknowledgment of local elections, Altizer said that the overall theme of the march was to inform others of the upcoming midterm elections and to encourage people to get involved in local and national elections. “This year’s message is power to the polls,” Altizer said. “We kind of know what to expect from the current administration, and we need to change that. And if you don’t like what you see, then change it. You be the change. So register to vote, get yourself to the poll, and vote for the people you believe in.” Kimberly Peterson, spokeswoman for the Women’s March Coalition of East Tennessee, also spoke at the rally and remarked on those who have started their own respective movements, such as Tarana Burke, who started the #MeToo campaign, Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Teresa Shook, who is credited for starting the Women’s March on Washington last year. “Some of the strongest social justice movements have been started with one person simply
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taking a stand,” Peterson said. Different local organizations were also at the event and each tabled for their individual cause. Groups included Knox Blue Dots, Planned Parenthood, Voices for Trans Youth, Postcards for Voters the Knox County Democratic Party, Democratic Socialists of America KnoxvilleArea Chapter, Sierra Club, League of Women Voters, and Knox County Democratic Club. Emily Chapin, member of the Knox County Democratic Party, participated in the 2017 Women’s March and said she wanted to further advocate for others’ rights. “This year I wanted to transition that energy into being here as a representative and talking about the work we’ve been doing and to help other people channel their positive energy from participating in this into local activism and local change,” Chapin said. “If last year is any indication, there is going to be even more women and people of color and LGBT people and other marginalized communities running for office and taking power back.” Kayla Trowbridge, UT senior in business analytics, said she was surprised but inspired by the number of participants. See WOMEN’S MARCH on Page 2
Monday, January 22, 2018