Costa students, parents and staff march in the third annual Los Angeles Women’s March to bring awareness to women’s rights

By Andonia Goergen

Staff Writer

The Women’s March Los Angeles Foundation held its third annual march on Jan. 19 in Los Angles, where Costa students protested to defend human rights, civil liberties and justice for all.

The purpose of this march was to bring awareness to the achievement of human rights, including reproductive rights for women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and asexual rights, as well as immigrant rights, according to the Women’s March L.A. website. The movement is under the guidance of the Executive Director Emiliana Guereca who was in charge of marches across the nation and world.

“I marched in celebration of the new female representation in government,” senior Devon Lay said. “I also marched for the girls who could not march. I marched for the girls whose parents say no, the girls without an education and the girls sold off to human trafficking.”

Before the day of the march, there was controversy regarding allegations about homophobic and anti-semitic comments made by the organizers of the national march. Women’s March National Organizer Linda Sarsour published a press release addressing the concern and the Women’s March L.A. coordinators quickly denied that they are associated with those who are in question.

“I was hesitant to march this year because of the recent allegations against one of the co-creators of the Women’s March after being found to be anti-Semitic,” Lay said. “But you have to understand that no matter what that woman said, her words do not represent what the march means.”

The theme of the march was “Truth to Power,” which is meant to challenge government officials to remain truthful, Guerca said. Protestors walked one mile from Pershing Square to City Hall, after a blessing to honor missing indigenous women of the Tongva Nation.

Approximately 200,000 people participated in the one mile walk to City Hall, Guereca said. This included Costa freshmen Isabel Behan, sophomores Charlie Birznieks and Lucy Fiorito and seniors Ariel Serene, Capeley Zimet, Isabel Kampfner, Isabella Papadimitriou, Jake Phillips, Lay, Kira Mateo and Owen Price-Hughes.

“I encourage others to attend because it brings awareness to many different topics involving women’s rights and just women in general that need to be addressed,” Behan said.

Attendees carried posters containing various slogans. Birznieks and Fiorito carried signs saying “Keep Your Filthy Laws Off My Silky Drawers,” and “We Have The Right To Be Heard.” Sprite hosted a sign making station where participants could make signs or get pre-made signs; Lay chose a sign saying, “Vote.”

“I chose this sign because if you want change you can’t just stand back and let everything fall together,” Lay said. “You need to initiate it and vote for what you believe in.”

There were performances and speeches from multiple celebrities including Aloe Blacc, Connie Briton, Laverne Cox,  Laura Dern and Senator Maria Elena Durazo. At Grand Park across from City Hall, guests enjoyed artwork and booths with information about other community events. Among the art was the “Fearless Girl” statue by Kristen Visbal, which was previously located in New York.

“I attended the women’s march because I wanted to be a part of the change towards equality,” Mateo said. “It’s about taking steps towards justice for women of all ages, backgrounds, orientations and identities. I think it’s a beautiful way to show my support and walk in solidarity with thousands of other women who feel the same.”