Major metropolitan areas, such as Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, were not the only places people marched in support of women’s rights and democracy last January. Here, a group of local residents gathered at the monument to express Idyllwild’s support, too.
Photo by Peter Szabadi

For those women, or men, who can’t get to Washington D.C., Philadelphia, or Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 20, or New York or Las Vegas on Sunday, Jan. 21, there will be a Women’s March in Idyllwild Saturday, Jan. 20.

Event organizers want participants to meet at the Town Monument, “Harmony,” at 11:30 a. m. The theme throughout the country will be Power to the Polls.

In 2017, the marches were on Jan. 21, the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. This year, many marches will be on Jan. 20. Although the Las Vegas event is the commemorative march, local groups throughout the country have planned marches from Maine to Southern California.

The Planning Committee for the Idyllwild event is composed of six people, said Becky Gunn, one of them.

The Idyllwild march will serve those who cannot get to the San Diego or Los Angeles events, and is listed on the national map with all the other marches in the country.

“It is as effective, if not more effective, having it in Idyllwild. It’s good because they are in many different places,” Gunn added.

While the initial marches in 2017 may have been in opposition of Trump’s inauguration and the final recognition that the first woman president was not going to be sworn into office last year, this year, the Idyllwild women Mary Rider, Stacey Grant and Gunn emphasize the Women’s March is nonpartisan. But it is a reaction to many misogynistic policies emanating from Washington D.C., regardless of party affiliation.

And these marches, which call attention to issues that produce visceral frustration and despair, are a positive step. “To fix ignorance,” Gunn said.

“Marches are one way to produce change,” Grant added. “But to produce change, the first step is awareness and marching is one way to create awareness.”

It is not just for women’s issues. “It’s for all people who feel discriminated against by the current administration. It for the LGBT community, Black Lives Matter, immigrants and others,” Gunn explained.

“We are a group of women, but we encompass all types of people,” Rider stated.

Before the marchers actually begin to trek over Idyllwild’s streets, Rider will offer an opening statement and there will be an opportunity for participants to add comments, she said.

Also, several people will be available to conduct voter registration. “This will be available before, during and after the march,” Grant said.