Denton’s Women’s March

Rallying for human rights

The day after the presidential inauguration and address, Washington, D.C. was the location of Women’s March on Washington planned by national coordinators and included a program of performers and speakers. Denton followed suit with its own Women’s March on the Square, Sat. 2,1 organized by A United Denton.

What Denton’s got to do with it
The event began at 12 p.m. with an overwhelming number of local citizens in attendance, approximately 2,000, many bringing their own signs with clever slogans and wearing pink knit “pussy” hats. The organizers had planned for everyone to stand shoulder to shoulder and circle the square, but the number of people prevented a neat march. There were several chants followed by applause and later a moment of silence for reflection. Several faculty members from TWU’s English Department, including Dr. Ashley Bender, Dr. Matthew Brown and Dr. Gretchen Busl, attended the march. Several TWU students and alumnae also went, a few of whose comments are listed deeper into the article.

The purpose behind proactiveness
The mission statement issued by Women’s March on Washington explains the purpose of having a rally: “The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights,” explicitly denying the language surrounding the most recent election cycle. Identifying some of the groups of people that feel particularly threatened by the rhetoric, the group stated: “We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.”

What former and current TWU students had to say about #whyimarch

Jaclyn Kliman
Senior, English major
“No one should be afraid to love who they love, believe what they believe, or be who they are.”

Anjelica Fraga
Post-bac, Government major
“I march for racial equality, queer rights, and safety for undocumented individuals.”

Nicole Parker
“I march for my daughters, because they deserve to grow up in a world that sees their value as people.”

Larisa Kliman
TWU alumna 2013, Psychology
“I march for the equality of every gender, every race, every human being because love is love is love is love.”

Stephanie Terrell
TWU alumna 2014, Dance
“I march because I believe in equality regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, ability, class, religion, immigration status. I march as an ally, as a white woman with privilege, because I want my voice to amplify the voices of those who are not heard.”