Eight years ago, Carla Presnell boarded a charter bus in central Illinois bound for Washington, D.C.
She was one of 500,000 women who marched on Washington for gender equality, human rights, healthcare reform, and other issues as Donald Trump took office for his first term, protesting his rhetoric and policies.
With similar events staged across the country, it was the single largest one-day protest in American history at the time.
“It was absolutely incredible. The number of women, the fact that everything was very peaceful, everyone was supporting of everyone else, the empowerment of it. It was just amazing to see that many people in agreement and supporting one another,” Presnell said.
Presnell lives in Fulton County and works in Knox County. As Trump is about to be inaugurated again, she can’t go to Washington D.C. this time, so she’s helping plan a march in Galesburg.
Presnell said the Women’s March is now known as the People’s March, and it incorporates a number of groups who are fearful of a second Trump presidency and want to defend their rights.
“If decisions about your body should remain yours, if you feel that, if you believe that books belong in libraries and not on the bonfires, if you believe that healthcare is a right and not a privilege for the wealthy, if you believe in the power of free speech and protest to sustain democracy, or if you believe that the economy should work for the people that power it, then this march is for you,” she said.
People’s Marches are planned for this Saturday, Jan. 18, in Washington D.C. and across the country.
In Galesburg, protestors will march from Opie’s Bar and Grill on Broad Street to the Knox County courthouse beginning at 12:30 p.m.
There will be yoga and self-defense classes. There will also be music, and women-owned businesses will be showcased.
Presnell said there’s power in numbers and there’s power in speaking up.
“Even though the march itself may not make a difference, this may be the incentive for people to start getting more involved, to maybe run for offices, to get more involved in political activities, to speak up, to write letters, to protest,” Presnell said. “So it's a stepping stone.”
A People’s March is also planned in Burlington on Saturday.
It is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 200 Front St. along the riverfront.
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