Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Residents from Portales and Fort Sumner are uniting for a common cause to speak out for human and women’s rights.
Organizer Alexis Roth is organizing a march at 10 a.m. Saturday at Dallas Park in Fort Sumner.
The event is inspired by the Women’s March on Washington, and is one of many “sister marches” held nation-wide on Saturday in conjunction with the Washington D.C. event.
“It means a lot because I don’t think women have rallied like this,” said Roth. “It’s bringing a voice to all of the things that haven’t been said in so long.”
Roth said the march is intended to express unity in a peaceful, non-partisan way.
“I don’t want to put (President-elect Donald) Trump at the forefront,” said Roth. “This really is about the movement and that’s what I really want it to be about,” said Roth.
She added she hopes 10 to 15 will participate.
“Even if I’m the only one, I still feel like it will make a profound impact,” said Roth. “This is really going to pave the way, adding to the road that many women have been paving for many years. It’s expressing our concerns for the next four years, especially when it has to do with women’s rights. I think that’s (unity) important. That’s the direction we need to be heading.”
Organizers in Portales will also host a rally in conjunction with the Women’s March on Washington.
The human and women’s rights rally will be held at noon Saturday at the Roosevelt County Courthouse.
Co-organizer Mary Ayala said the rally was hosted for people unable to travel to the sister marches in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
She added it gives residents the opportunity to “focus more on the things they stand for rather than the things they stand against.”
Co-organizer Linda Sumption said the rally will be hosted to support the “protection of rights of all people regardless of ethnicity and religion” while addressing what she feels are concerns regarding the incoming administration.
The issues Sumption said she hopes to address include the protection of the environment, protection of Social Security and the concern of privatization of public schools, as well as speaking out against sexual assault.
Sumption added she is also aiming for an inclusive, non-partisan approach, saying it is simply “an organization of a couple of women” hosting the rally not tied to any political organization or party.
“I think we should learn from the past and be very vigilant for the future,” said Sumption. “It’s sort of an impromptu grassroots events to gather people on these issues. We need a forum on local voices.”
