The video that inspired the founding of the group We Are Woman is titled “We are Warriors,” and as the the national rally for women’s rights that the group organized came to a close last Saturday in Washington, D.C., the members of We Are Woman did indeed feel like warriors.
Saturday’s rally attracted more than a thousand people to the west lawn of the Capitol grounds. Opening with an impassioned speech from beloved Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), it continued for a full five hours of inspirational words, music and comedy.
Planned Parenthood was there. NOW was there. CODE PINK danced on the sidelines in their furry vagina costumes.
Though it was billed as a rally, the event ended up taking on a fair-like atmosphere. ERA banners flew and decorated umbrellas dotted the lawn. Participants browsed tables staffed by Rock the Slut Vote, Cooch Watch, the National ERA Alliance and other organizations. Some danced in the sun to crowd favorites “Girls Poop, Too!” and “Take Your Vagina to the RNC.”
By the end of the day, organizers were tired and sore but had done what they set out to do. A small, grassroots group of women from various corners of the U.S. had pulled together a rally that left people feeling excited and inspired. And before they even had time to restore the West Lawn to its proper state and wave as the portable restrooms were hauled away, they began making plans for the future of We Are Woman.
As election season gathers steam, We Are Woman will continue to promote the message emblazoned on official rally signs: Remember in November! Encouraging the election of women and men who support progressive policies is top priority. In other words, this Woman’s work has just begun.
Check out the slideshow over at the Ms. blog!
Guest post by Jessica DelBalzo — cross-posted from the Ms. blog.
Thanks to the organizers of We Are Woman and Meg Randall of the Feminist Majority Foundation for sharing their photos.
Photo at top from We Are Woman rally in Washington, D.C., by Meg Randall.
