Women and men in all 50 states are expected to march this weekend to mark the first anniversary of the Women's March, the global event that saw millions of people take to the streets in the U.S. and around the world.
The main event will take place on Sunday in Las Vegas instead of Washington, D.C. this year, with organizers focusing largely on registering and mobilizing voters ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Cecile Richards, head of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund; Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia); Alicia Garzia, co-founder or Black Lives Matter; and Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution are among the speakers at Sunday's Power to the Polls rally in Las Vegas.
According to a map of scheduled events on the coalition's website and a video posted to its Twitter page, scores of rallies, meetups, and seminars will take place across the country—and on nearly every continent.
Join us January 21st in Las Vegas for the official Women’s March anniversary event kicking off our year-long #PowerToThePolls campaign to win in 2018! Get info, register, donate, or find a sister event near you: https://t.co/yekbsBO95T pic.twitter.com/9ODxmdwXiR
— Women's March (@womensmarch) January 13, 2018
"We started 2017 with perpetual outrage and now we are at the moment when we have perpetual outrage, plus a plan in place for 2018," Linda Sarsour, co-chair of the Women's March, told the Guardian. "One year ago, we had millions of people marching in the streets of the streets. The idea is that we march the same people and their families and their friends to the polls in 2018."
The 2017 event far surpassed expectations, organized in just two months after Teresa Shook of Hawaii started a Facebook event page and invited her friends to march on Washington in protest of President Donald Trump's election.
Officials estimated that about 470,000 people attended the march in Washington, D.C. while 750,000 marched in Los Angeles. Dozens of marches took place around the world, including two in Antarctica.
On social media, women's rights groups urged supporters to attend events, donate to local campaigns, and participate in voter registration efforts in 2018.
2018 is ours. We’re bringing our #PowerToThePolls all year, beginning on the @womensmarch anniversary this Sunday.
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) January 19, 2018
Registered to vote by texting P2P to 788-683. pic.twitter.com/Y8jhnn333e
.@valariekaur, thank you for the special message and for your revolutionary love and leadership.
— Women's March (@womensmarch) January 19, 2018
Friends, even if you can't join us in person, you can still show your support on social media using #PowerToThePolls! pic.twitter.com/w06QF4Wcun
Share this artwork by @gaylekabaker if you’re ready to flex your superpower and win in 2018! Help us reach our goal of getting 1 million people to register to vote this year: text P2P to RTVOTE (788-683) to make sure you’re registered! #PowerToThePolls #TogetherWeRise pic.twitter.com/TsoUilJPU3
— Women's March (@womensmarch) January 19, 2018
