Women (and men) march for social justice and unity

The National Women’s March in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Jan. 18, inspired more than 25,000 people to march at more than 250 sites nationwide. The local Women’s March, sponsored by St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Port Jervis, went beyond the overtly political.

"I see the national march as the spark of inspiration," said Margaret Spring, one of the march organizers. "And while there is something really empowering about being among tens of thousands of people marching in places across the country on the same day, we knew from the very beginning that we wanted a local theme focusing on bringing folks together and lifting up the work of local grassroots organizations supporting the marginalized in our communities. That quickly expanded into the idea for the commUNITY fair, and today was the result.”

Melissa Martens, another of the organizers from the church, said most of them have been doing this march for four years. They started organizing for this march in November. The volunteers “came together organically," she said.

"They wanted to focus on what is right for our region," said Martens. “We all had a vision of wanting to show something positive in the community."

The themes of the march were “justice and unity” and “building a bigger table.”

Sixteen organizations participated in the CommUNITY fair before the march started. Their representatives were all very welcoming and generous with information. About 250 people in the church mulled around the tables. The energy in the church was contagious, despite the snow and increasingly inclement weather.

Eight people spoke briefly. Most of them were advocates, educators, and activists. Their speeches were very inspirational. Travis Love Benson, transgender rights advocate and local singer/songwriter, performed for the gathering.

The people in the audience were all smiles. Liz Steen from the Milford United Methodist Church praised the commUNITY fair, which was a first this year. She said it was positive and family-friendly.

Agnes Molnar also attended from Milford. “It was heartening to see so many people come out for a good cause and march for equality and justice for everybody," she said.

Pastor Ann Akers talked about peace and inclusivity. As people filed out of the church to march, she said: "God, divine spirit of many names, help us build a bigger table.”