Anniversary Women’s March on Asheville (Route Update)

The 2017 Women’s March was a worldwide protest, held January 21, to advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues including women’s rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights, the natural environment, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, and workers’ rights.

An anniversary Women’s March on Asheville will take place on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 11 a.m.

The (updated) peaceful march  route will begin at Memorial Stadium, turn onto Biltmore Avenue, and end at the Vance monument downtown.

This year, high school student Sawyer Taylor-Arnold is taking the lead in organizing the anniversary march, stating that, “We wish to continue this stimulating tradition of joining together and raising our voices to create nationwide change.

“A year ago, women and men around the country stood together in solidarity to advocate for the protection of the rights of individuals across the nation. Since then, we have witnessed attacks on our communities through developments like the Muslim ban, the deportation of former DACA recipients, the retraction of net neutrality, and many more. But we have also witnessed the profound effects of our mobilization through social movements like #MeToo and political advancements like the election of Doug Jones,” Taylor-Arnold stated, referring to the new Democratic senator from Alabama, the first member of his party to serve the state in more than 20 years.

Sarah Kate Head, one of the youth organizers of the anniversary march and also a student at Asheville High, added, “It is imperative that we continue to elevate the voices of the voiceless. We must persist, protest, and vote in order to solidify the progress we’ve made and continue to make more.”

This year, as in January 2017, T-shirts will be sold to support the important work of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. Online orders will be made available at squareup.com/store/WomensMarchOnAsheville.

Dr. Marie-Line Germain, lead organizer of last year’s Women’s March on Asheville, has affiliated the Asheville March with MarchON, whose mission is to get out the vote in the 2018 midterm elections (marchonthepolls.org). This year, she is assisting the anniversary Women’s March in Philadelphia, PA.

For details about the 2018 Women’s March on Asheville or to volunteer, visit facebook.com/WomensMarchAVL. For urgent inquiries, contact [email protected].