Hundreds of Oregonians of all ages, races and genders gathered in Portland for the annual Women’s March on Mar. 1, 2020. This movement takes place at the start of March to signify the beginning of International Women’s Month and is full of inspirational speakers, colorful posters and plenty of family-friendly events. 

This celebration of female strength and feminism is a tradition that began in 2017 and continues to occur annually. The event began as a rally in the South Park Blocks of Portland and was later followed by the official march kickoff at 1 p.m. 

The mission of the Women’s March is to unite the diverse population of those in support of women’s rights and bring light to issues such as reproductive rights, equal pay, ending violence against women, LGBTQIA+ rights and overall gender equality. For the first time, march organizers decided to change the movement name to “Womxn’s March” as a more gender-neutral term to promote inclusivity for non-binary allies.  

Although the turnout wasn’t as great in comparison to past years, many came to show their respect for women in history who have suffered for equality and also to reflect on how our community can do better based on what we’ve learned. 

In an interview with Katu News, Organizer Della Rae explained, “The whole point of bringing our community together is to invite women to think about our future. Our theme is remember and rise. It’s really important especially now to remember whose land we’re on, the women who came before us and how important it is that we came together because that’s the only way anything is going to change.” 

This peaceful demonstration is meant to emphasize the obstacles women have overcome over the years, as well as how much society still needs to improve. Organizers called this year’s march a huge success, and the yearly demonstration marks yet another big step in the right direction towards awareness in regards to gender inequality.