By Maya Liquigan and Greer Stewart

November 2, 2024

On Saturday, Nov. 2, Columbia students joined a rally with Chicago Women’s March as fellow attendees and guest speakers, urging the crowd to consider the importance of reproductive rights in the upcoming presidential election. 

The Chicago Women’s March is a branch of the Women’s March organization that began in 2017 and is planning to march to the White House on Nov. 2. Thousands are expected to attend the protest on the weekend before the Nov. 5 election.

Six students met at the Student Center at 9:30 a.m. before walking to the Chicago Federal Center to join other Women’s March attendees. 

Lindy Girman, senior theater studies major, was in attendance as both a spectator and speaker representative of Columbia’s Student Government Association. Girman discussed Columbia’s efforts to provide free menstrual products in gender neutral bathrooms, emphasizing inclusivity and dignity for students regardless of gender identity or socioeconomic background.

“Columbia stands as a safe haven for countless queer, trans and nonbinary students, some of whom have not been accepted in their families,” Girman said. “I’m here today to stand with trans women who ask for gender-affirming health care and trans men and nonbinary people who also need access to abortion and reproductive care.” 

Over 150 people of all ages held up signs that read phrases such as “Women’s rights are human rights” and “We are not going back” while listening to guest speakers, including Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, talk about their stories and the importance of voting in this election. 

“We are here because we believe in a world where everyone can live with dignity, safety and opportunity, but that world will not come to pass if we don’t fight the world we built; if we don’t show up, if we don’t fight for it if we don’t demand it,” Miller said. 

The program included a Bollywood dance performance by Ria Marathe who led the crowd through simple choreographed moves to “dance for democracy.” Chicago-based artist Zion Ali performed at the event. Between speakers, MC Sayjal Joshi from Second City and Kat O’Brien energized the crowd and handed out T-shirts donated by sponsors Ray Gun, Strange Cargo and T-shirt Deli.  

Dora Merritt, a reverend from the Trinity United Church of Christ, said that she attended the event because she feels “we as women have been too quiet.” 

“I have great-granddaughters and daughters, I’ve always felt like we as women have been treated as second class citizens,” Meritt said. “It just breaks my heart how it’s gotten worse.” 

Merritt said she was grateful to be part of a historic event in the country and be an activist role model for her grandchildren. As an elder, she explained that she is grateful to witness people gathering to make a difference in the country and that “our democracy is hanging by a thread.” 

Pedro Medrano sat at the back of the crowd and chanted “we’re not going back” with the group. Medrano attended the Chicago Women’s March in 2017, but noticed that the crowd this year was a lot smaller. 

“It’s kind of showing a presence, you know,” he said. “I think it’s important to just show up and show that there’s people who care about these things and care about women’s autonomy.” 

Kate and Jeff Greco attended the event with their two sons who held up signs reading “Feminism trumps Fascism” and “Lil white boys for Kamala.” The Greco family tries to attend marches and protests regularly, and heard about the Women’s March heading to the White House. Kate Greco said it was important to expose her kids to these kinds of events. 

“It’s important for them to understand how democracy works, how to stand up for what’s right,” Kate Greco said. “I honestly want to raise a couple of feminists, too. I’m hopeful that when the time comes, we’ll have really kind, young men that do what’s right.”

Jeff Greco said it was important for him as a cisgender white man to be present at these events and support the rights of others. He said that although the election is around the corner, the issues they are fighting for are more important.

“I really love the idea of people staying focused on issues rather than candidates or even parties,” he said. “I think that we face such specific issues that should bring us together, and stuff like standing up for equality across women and LGBTQ rights.” 

Danaka Katovich, the national co-director of the feminist organization Code Pink, said that feminism should also include caring about women all over the world and that Chicago has one of the largest Palestinian communities in the United States.

Katovich attended the event to represent the reproductive rights for women in Gaza.

“We just wanted to bring the message that genocide isn’t feminist and the women of Gaza are our sisters,” she said. “No one has said a thing about Gaza so far.” 

The event concluded when attendees were given ribbons and encouraged to bond with each other to celebrate sisterhood and solidarity for women’s rights. Guests were encouraged to exercise their rights to vote and parade to the polls following the conclusion of the program. 

“We are going to solve these issues with a strong economy and with strong leaders who will value our women, our families and our communities, so on that we’re going to vote because we are not going back,” said Mary Kay Devine, chief of staff of Women Employed.