Women, allies and feminists marched in downtown Regina on Saturday making a statement that they’re willing to fight for equality for all.
Regina joined hundreds of other cities across the globe for the fourth annual Women’s March, which began in Washington, D.C., in 2016 following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
In Regina, the event has been held the past three years and continues to grow each year, say organizers.
“We’re all out here with our own messages that will bring change,” said Barb Byers, board member of the YWCA who helped organize this year’s march.
For transgender woman Cat Haines, that means fighting for better mental health supports throughout the province and reclaiming space for transgender people.
“It’s really important to come together as a community and raise our voices together, and really share in that space and learn from each other,” Haines said.
Stephanie Korol attended the event to remind people that feminism goes beyond equality of sexes.
She marched with a homemade sign criticizing “Make Women Great Again”, a male-led conference that rejects feminism and teaches women to “become more feminine.”
“They’re kind of telling me how to behave, and how to act,” Korol said. “Women were great, and still are great.”
Marcher Kat Mazenc said it’s important to remember feminism is about fighting for marginalized groups, equality for LGBTQ communities and rights for newcomers to Canada.
“There are a lot of different groups who still need people to use their platform to stand up,” Mazenc said.
Denita Wahpoosewyan, who attended her first Women’s March on Saturday, said change is needed for people to heal.
“As an Indigenous woman, I believe women are going to help lead the way in our community for healing, and to help our families and help our communities to get healthy,” Wahpoosewyan said.
She said she understands the importance of her voice.
“I feel the need to speak out for the missing and murdered women all across Turtle Island,” Whapoosewyan said. “We should be doing something about that, create awareness so we can start helping families with the healing, and create awareness to put a stop to that.”
For many, the fight for equality will never end.
“We’ll always be fighting for equality — it’s a conversation that should never stop.”