Featured Photo: Hundreds of people with masks and signs marched down Market Street from Civic Center Plaza to the Embarcadero in San Francisco.
On Oct. 17, the streets of San Francisco filled with protestors, human rights advocates and people seeking justice in light of recent events like George Floyd's death, President Donald Trump's pandemic response and the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Family, friends and allies marched in unison for not only women's rights, but for reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, workers' rights, civil rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, environmental justice and ending police violence.
“Women’s rights are on the line during this election and it’s imperative that we vote,” march attendee Tiana Day, a frequent protester and founder of the non-profit Youth Advocates for Change, said.
Not only women participated in the march; men also sounded their voices in support of women's rights by protesting alongside the women and holding posters supporting the march's ideas. One man even marched naked, donning just a black purse, pink Crocs and a mask. Photo by Alyssa Garcia.
Marchers chant the phrase, "Stand up, fight back," as frontline demonstrators list the struggles faced by women and people facing oppression and encourage people to rise up against injustices. Video by Janessa Ulug.
"If you're angry, vote. If you're tired, vote. If you're hungry, if you're homeless, vote," former president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Malia Cohen, who became the first Black woman on the California Board of Equalization, said.
"Not the church and not the state, women must decide our fate," echoes through the megaphone at the front lines of the march. In reference to the government’s and church’s perceived influence on women's right to abortion, many advocated for the right to choose during the protest. Video by Janessa Ulug.
"It's 2020, ladies, and we've got some cleaning up to do," Cohen told marchers.
"It's nice to see other people here, and they're angry, and we're all frustrated," San Jose resident Ashley Ochoa (31) said, wiping away tears as she participated in the protest. "To have this cathartic release together, it's beautiful."