As women march in solidarity throughout the nation on Saturday, Nov. 2, Augusta County Democrats invite the public to share their voice at a local rally the same day.
The Women’s Rights & Freedoms Rally will take place from 1-3 p.m. at the Augusta County Courthouse plaza at 1 E. Johnson St. in Staunton. Signs are welcome, according to organizers.
The national Women’s March will take place in Washington, D.C., and it will strategically pass by the White House.
Since everyone cannot participate in D.C., cities throughout the nation are organizing marches to remind those in power that women are watching and demanding accountability with the emphasis on the slogan used by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris: “We Won’t Go Back.”
Former congressional candidate Jennifer Lewis, who is active in the local Democratic committee, will serve as the event emcee for the Staunton event.
Lewis is one of five Waynesboro voters who have filed a lawsuit requesting that the Waynesboro Circuit Court orders the two Republican members of the local electoral board to certify the Nov. 5 election. The countersuit is in response to an effort by two Republican Waynesboro Electoral Board members to delay the certification of votes by demanding a hand count of ballots cast in the 2024 election. No court date has been set for either case.
Speakers at the Staunton event will include:
- Dr. Charemon Brooks, PhD, RN
- Ken Mitchell, 6th District congressional candidate
- Joy Ingram, New Directions Domestic Abuse Center
- Barbara Lee, racial rights and freedoms advocate
- Kobby Hoffman, National Organization for Women, Virginia president
- Shenandoah LGBTQ+ spokesperson
- Planned Parenthood, UVA students
Events are strategically timed as part of Get Out the Vote efforts across the nation in advance of the Nov. 5 presidential election.
The Harris-Walz ticket has promised to never allow a national abortion ban to become law. They have also agreed to work with Congress to pass a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade by U.S. Supreme Court judges appointed by former President Donald Trump, Harris has advocated for patients and doctors to make decisions about a woman’s health.
“We, who believe in reproductive freedom, will stop Donald Trump’s extreme abortion bans because we trust women to make decisions about their own bodies and not have their government telling them what to do,” Harris said at a Massachusetts rally.
For more information on the Staunton event, email [email protected]
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Crystal Graham
