Nearly 1000 members of the Burbank community joined the Burbank Women’s March on Saturday, January 20. The event began at 9:15 a.m. with several notable speakers and attendees, including Vice Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy, City Attorney Amy Albano, City Council Members Sharon Springer and Jess Talamantes and State Senator Anthony Portantino.
The group, which Burbank Police Department initially estimated at upwards of 600 people, marched the Chandler Bikeway beginning at N. Mariposa St. and W. Chandler Boulevard. More joined in along the walk, bringing the total closer to 1000.
(Photo by © Ross A Benson)
The group marched for a total of three miles, turning around at Hollywood Way and ending up back at Mariposa.
“This march, and last year’s as well, speak to the spirit of our community. People came out on a very chilly, very windy weekend morning simply to support each other,” commented Burbank Women’s March organizer Joanna Peresie. “The atmosphere was positive, loving and neighborly. The exact reasons we love this city.”
“As much as I hope and wish we will have nothing left to march for by this time next year, I’ll be proud to stand up and march with this incredible group of people as often and as long as we need to.”
Video of Gabel-Luddy’s remarks can be viewed here. 2013-14 Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year Jill Tobin also spoke, encouraging the many children in attendance to speak out against injustice.
“We are here today because people around the world are treated unfairly and unjustly,” she said. “Not just around the world, but right here in our own community.”
(Photo by © Ross A Benson)
Peresie noted that Burbank Unified School District Board of Education members Steve Frintner and Arnold Aghakhanian attended as well, as the district’s monthly EdWalk was being held simultaneously.
According to the national Women’s March organization, “We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families – recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.”
The Women’s March began as a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017, to galvanize support for legislation and policies protecting human rights, including women’s rights, reproductive rights, racial equality, immigration and healthcare reform, worker’s rights, LGBTQ rights, religious freedom and environmental protections and care. It was the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.
(Photo by © Ross A Benson)
Most of the rallies last year were aimed at the divisive figure of newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump, because of statements he made that were seen as racist, sexist and offensive. That perspective continues to be supported by his comments and the policies and legislation his administration has enacted during the first year of his presidency.
Well over a million people across the country rallied for the Women’s March on Saturday, January 20, for the second year, with over 600,000 alone marching in downtown Los Angeles.
Motor officers from the Burbank Police Department assisted the marchers at intersections along the Chandler Bikeway.
Last year’s Burbank Women’s March brought out 200-300 marchers. This year, many families, including parents with wagons and strollers, and many more individuals from the Burbank community participated.
More information and photos about the 2018 Burbank Women’s March are available here.
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