WOMEN WITH A CAUSE
Participants in Saturday’s Women’s March in Regina get geared up by creating signs to carry in the demonstration, which starts at the YWCA at 10 a.m.
Krystal Kolodziejak was tired of being complacent about women’s rights.
So, this time last year, she hopped a plane to Toronto, then a bus to Washington, D.C., to join hundreds of thousands of other people in taking a stand in the Women’s March.
On Saturday, she’ll be one of an anticipated 300-plus to attend Regina’s first official Women’s March.
“Even the original march, the whole basis of it is to recognize that women’s rights are human rights and we have a number of gaps to still get there,” said Kolodziejak.
In Saskatchewan, for example, she points to intimate partner violence that occurs at twice the national average rate.
The march, themed Look Back, March Forward, is one of at least 40 happening across Canada.
The Regina march was spearheaded by Kolodziejak and the Regina YWCA.
“The women’s march itself was really originated as a reaction to something, but has now since become something so much more than that,” said Melissa CoomberBendtsen, CEO of YWCA Regina.
“The spirit of the march is to talk about that, although there’s been a lot of progress for women, there hasn’t been enough, and there’s a lot of work to do in advancing the rights of women, but more particularly even, the rights of vulnerable women.”
“The really unique thing about the women’s march is that it’s this non-partisan march, so it’s not about a specific political ideology,” added Jacq Brasseur, executive director of the UR Pride Centre, which assisted the YWCA in organizing the event.
“It’s about women and non-binary people coming together and saying, ‘Violence against women needs to end, violence against marginalized groups needs to end,’ and I think recognizing the diversity of experiences that women have.”
“It’s on the premise that we are meeting together to talk about the issues that affect women, and it’s women of all backgrounds, races, religions, age, gender identity, people of colour,” said CoomberBendtsen.
The 2017 Women’s March was held on Jan. 21, the day after U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration, in protest of his attitudes about women, immigration and health care, among other issues.
Solidarity marches occurred across the world, including a very small one in Regina, which had fewer than 10 people.
The national organization Women’s March Canada highlights the values of health, economic security, representation and safety. It emphasizes that “women’s rights are human rights.”
The march is open to anyone who supports this idea.
Kolodziejak was inspired to attend the Washington march after noticing the shifting American culture trickling into Canada.
“You’d see hate crimes happening in the U.S. and then you’d see it then happen in Canada. You kind of realize how much their culture and political climate influences ours,” she said.
“I think it gives you the awareness of how fragile rights can be, and how we can’t take it for granted that we are able to enjoy them, and continue to fight and defend for them.”
Since last January, as campaigns such as #MeToo have gained popularity, survivors of sexual harassment and assault have been more forthcoming with their stories.
But Brasseur calls it a “common trope” to marvel at “how far we’ve come.”
“I personally feel like I’m not going to settle. It’s not just, ‘OK, at least some women can vote now,’ and ‘at least raping women isn’t (accepted) anymore,’ ” said Brasseur.
“I think it’s important that we don’t get complacent in that and say, ‘Well, OK we’ve done enough now so let’s relax.’ I think there’s always going to be work to be done and until everybody is free from violence, I think that these movements will continue to be pertinent.”
The march begins at the YWCA, 1940 McIntyre St., at 10 a.m. The group will head south on Albert Street, east on College Avenue, north on Broad Street, and west on Victoria Avenue.
The march will end at the YWCA, where coffee and snacks will be served alongside conversations and information.