On Saturday, January 21, 2017, the Shreveport-Bossier Chapter of the National Organization for Women will gather peacefully in solidarity with the Women’s March in Washington D.C.

The gathering will begin on the north sidewalk of the Caddo Parish Courthouse at 3:00 PM with a reading of the Official Statement of Purpose from the Women’s March in Washington D.C., and will end after participants march around the courthouse as a unified group.

The public is invited to attend this peaceful vigil. Signs are welcome, but sound amplification objects like megaphones and microphones are forbidden by law. This will be a family-friendly, community-inclusive gathering.

Questions and media requests should be directed to NOW Shreveport-Bossier Chapter President, Katie Caldwell, at shreveportbossiernow@gmail.com.
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The Official Statement of Purpose from the Women’s March in Washington D.C. follows:

“On January 21, 2017…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 rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us--women, immigrants of all statuses, those with diverse religious faiths particularly Muslim, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native and Indigenous people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, the economically impoverished and survivors of sexual assault. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear. In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March will send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us. We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society. We work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all. HEAR OUR VOICE.”