'March for Black Women' rally in DC calls for new social contract in fight for change
WASHINGTON (WJLA) -- Organizers held a "March for Black Women" in D.C. Saturday as part of their continued efforts calling for a new social contract.
"Black women, cis, trans, and diverse identities, allies and comrades will unite and lock arms, marching unapologetically with all others who want to pull the foot of oppression off our necks and foreground the notion a new social contract is needed for all Black women, a new social contract that overturn to the dominant political narratives of the past, and courageous enough in the present to pass along to our future generations," a press release for the march stated.
Black Women's Blueprint, put on the event, with help from the DC Rape Crisis Center, Marsha P. Johnson Institute and the National Economic & Social Rights Initiative. The rally began at the National Mall at around 9 a.m. before a scheduled march through the city to Freedom Plaza.
Along with supporting the fight for the rights of black women, the event also emphasized aiding the survivors of sexual assault.
"We have work to do to create a just and sustainable future," march organizers said in a statement. "To all those still seeking social transformation, beyond our resistance, we say rise and persist with one vote this Fall and drive home the message that our everyday lives are political."
Below is the list of speakers that were scheduled for the rally.
The group has a list of specific demands they are calling for as part of their movement:
- Full reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act set to expire on September 30, 2018.
- Political hopefuls focus on intersectional women's rights concerns like poverty, affordable housing, reproductive rights, immigration protections and center the most vulnerable.
- Remove the gag order on advocacy and prevention focused agencies forbidding the use of the words: transgender, fetus, vulnerable, science-based, evidence-based, diversity, and entitlement.
