Colorado Springs participates in nationwide Women’s March
President Donald Trump and the current federal government shutdown were on the minds of women in Colorado and across the country Saturday during the third-annual Women’s March.
Several hundred people gathered at City Hall in downtown Colorado Springs for the local observance of the event during which women rally and discuss political and social issues.
Among the keynote speakers were Stephany Rose Spaulding — who lost her bid to defeat local Congressman Doug Lamborn last fall — and Colorado’s new lieutenant governor, Dianne Primavera.
“This is the moment that will mark the rest of our lives,” Spaulding said. “This is the moment that will move us forward into what is next for Colorado, for Colorado Springs, for the USA.”
Many in the crowd — which did include some men — held signs criticizing Trump’s history on women’s issues, and the impact of the shutdown on thousands of federal employees and their families.
“Let the Congressmen and all those people go without a check for a couple of months and see if it matters to them,” said Randy Knouse, a rally attendee.
Another attendee, Sally Fitzgerald, said, “I am here today to march for my special needs daughter. Every year, we get our services cut and the government gets more money. There’s something wrong with the big picture.”
Women attending the rally also expressed concern about other issues important to them.
“In terms of clean air, clean water, clean energy, good education for children and a just system of incarceration,” Kathleen Bizzarro said.
During the three-hour event, attendees also marched to the nearby All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church for more activities.
One of the event organizers, Catherine Grandorff, said attendance was slightly larger than last year, but would have been even better if not for fake social media posts stating the event would be held on different dates, in an attempt to confuse and discourage women.
“We had several fake events pop up,” she said. “We would report them and encourage folks to report them, but they would get taken down and then more would pop up. So, it was tricky.”
Among the cheers voiced by attendees were, “Don’t give up hope. You’re not alone. Today we march. Tomorrow we work.”
Grandorff said she was pleased by this year’s event.
“The major themes of the event are we may not be happy with where the country is going, or where the country is at, but we want a say on where the country is going,” she said. “I think we’re all very hopeful for the future.”
