Women's March on St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, MO [December 14, 2016] – The Women’s March on St. Louis will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2017, from 9 a.m. to noon in downtown St. Louis. The march will begin at Union Station and proceed down Market Street, ending at Luther Ely Smith Park with a rally. Immediately following the march and rally, St. Louis area organizations will hold a volunteer fair, providing information on a variety of social justice and women’s issues.

Coinciding with the Women’s March on Washington, D.C., this demonstration and others throughout the country intend to show, en masse, a united front in the fight for the rights of women and other marginalized groups.

To date, nearly 3,300 individuals are interested in the event, and more than 1,000 plan to attend the local march, according to the event’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1144816388929162. Everyone supporting women’s rights is encouraged to attend this free event. 

“We hope to send a bold message to the new national and state administrations on their first day of office that women are not to be ignored,” said Valerie Brinkman, lead organizer for the march. “We will stand together for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health and our families.

The negative rhetoric and outcomes of the recent elections caused uncertainty and fear in women, immigrants, minorities, those with diverse religious convictions, LGBTQIA individuals, those with disabilities, the economically disadvantaged, and survivors of sexual assault.

“We stand for all women, but not just for women,” added Brinkman. “Our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country, and defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.”

The Women’s March on St. Louis sprang up organically as a result of the recent election. Once a march was planned in Washington D.C., Brinkman and others wanted to extend the opportunity to women who would not be able to travel to take part in this history-making demonstration.

Brinkman and a handful of co-creators formed the group DefendHERS to manage the logistics and financial necessities of the march. Sponsors are being sought to help offset costs.

DefendHERS is a non-partisan organization aiming to engage the St. Louis community in the fight for social justice for women, people of color, LGBTQIA individuals, those with diverse religious convictions, those with disabilities, the economically disadvantaged and survivors of sexual assault. This march is one of many first steps to achieve and protect legal and social equality for all.

St. Louis area organizations working with DefendHERS on the event include: American Association of University Women; National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis; League of Women Voters; NARAL; Planned Parenthood; National Women’s Political Caucus; YWCA; St. Louis Women’s Fund; and Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice.

For more information on the march, rally and volunteer fair, check out the group’s event page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1144816388929162. You can also follow the group on Twitter: @WomensMarchSTL.