THE MARCH

Sydney CBD 
Saturday 21 January 2017
We Made History!

Photo by Simone Cheung

“We are marching today in solidarity with women all over the world against sexism, bigotry, and racism.”

March Organiser Mindy Freiband

We gathered on the morning of the 21st under sunny blue skies in Hyde Park in the CBD. People with diverse backgrounds, identities, experiences, concerns, and goals came together to stand up for dignity, respect, and justice for all. We were passionate and angry, but always peaceful and united in support of our common goals.

“People are marching all around the world not just in response to Trump himself but really to all the things this year that have been a little bit concerning — the rise of this sort of populist rhetoric that is very much around divisiveness and a lot of hatred.”

March Organiser Erin Riley

Marchers came bearing signs with slogans such as “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights,” “Forwards Not Backwards,” and “Build Bridges Not Walls.”

Photo by Nicola Bailey

 

The March opened with a Welcome To Country, followed by our MC Tracey Spicer introducing our keynote speakers:

Jenny Munro
Jane Caro
Mariam Veiszadeh
Xiaoran Shi
Ronni Kahn
Helen Meekosha
Dr Mindy Freiband

We marched from Hyde Park to Martin Place. We chanted, spoke to each other, and shared stories. Our March finished in Martin Place with a call-to-action ceremony MC’d Marlena Dali, and featured amazing performances from Amanda Palmer, Bek Jensen, Alphamama, and Candy Royalle.

Photo by Nicola Bailey

 

Our call-to-action asked Marchers to commit to three simple steps after they went home that day:

Text reads: I promise to 1. Volunteer in my community; 2. Pay attention to what my elected officials are doing and speak out; 3. Support women in the arts, business, sports, politics and STEM.

 

In the weeks and months after the March we’ve been busy mobilising and working toward our goal of equal rights for all people. We’ve set up groups called ‘Huddles’ where Marchers can meet in small groups to discuss and implement ideas within their own communities. During our ‘Week of Action’ we released daily infographics containing information about important issues such as equal pay, the decriminalisation of abortion, and sexual violence. We offered suggested actions people could take to address these issues. We continue to work with our Sister March teams from the around the world as a way to amplify each other’s voices. We have big plans for the future, and we won’t stop until we reach our goals.

Keep an eye on our website, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates on what’s to come.

SUPPORTERS

We are honoured to have the support and guidance from so many individuals and groups across Sydney and from the Women’s March on Washington Global Team. We thank them for their support and are proud to have marched with them in January.

PARTNERS