WASHINGTON – To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the historic Women’s March on Washington following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, as many as 8,000 people are expected to participate in Saturday’s women’s march to support female candidates in the 2018 elections and to encourage voter registration and turnout, organizers say.
The 2017 march attracted hundreds of thousands of women to Washington on Jan. 21, the day after Trump’s inauguration. Marches also were held around the U.S. and around the world.
This weekend’s March on the Polls sponsored by March Forward Virginia, has three goals:
- to support women running for office and encourage more to do so, especially women of color or women from diverse backgrounds;
- to promote voter registration and civic engagement;
- to partner with community groups that are already doing this type of advocacy work, Patton said.
This year’s event speakers will include former Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine, National Organization of Women President Toni Van Pelt and professional soccer player Joanna Lohman, according to the march’s website. The march will start at the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall and end at the White House.
Slightly more than 8,000 people have said they will attend the march and another 18,000 have said they are interested, according to the march’s Facebook event page.
The march is one day after the March For Life, an anti-abortion march.
Spokeswoman Emily Patton said that anyone who wants to support the women’s march can donate to its GoFundMe page.
