The cold Saskatchewan weather wasn’t enough to discourage many Regina residents from taking part in a women’s rights rally in downtown Regina.
“Could our ancestors have cancelled the day?” Elder Brenda Dubois said as she addressed the crowd outside YWCA Regina. “They still had to get up and muster what they had to do in order to survive.”
Saturday marked the seventh annual Women’s March hosted by the YWCA Regina, just three days after International Women’s Day.
“Though International Women’s Day is a day for celebration, it is also a time to acknowledge the unfinished work and to inspire others to take action for change,” the YWCA said in a press release.
The march is meant to act as a space where community members can stand together and raise awareness about women’s rights.
“There continues to be a crucial need for this important advocacy work,” YWCA Regina CEO, Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen said.
“Now more than ever, we need to band together to continue the fight for gender equity and social justice. We need the community to not only listen and acknowledge the injustices but to take notable action.”
People marched for many different causes as chants for equality echoed throughout.
“I’m wearing a red scarf today and I’m walking for Indigenous women who are disproportionately affected by systems and institutions of inequity,” Coomber-Bendtsen said.
The march began outside the front doors of the Regina YWCA before making its way through downtown Regina.
After the 100-plus participants made it back to the YWCA, a community social was held for people to talk, celebrate and warm up from the cold.