Women’s March comes to Fort Myers on Sunday
On Sunday-one day after the National Women’s March on Washington D.C.-a group of activists will bring the annual movement to Lee County for the first time.
The 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. march, which begins and ends at Centennial Park in downtown Fort Myers, will feature musicians, speakers, T-shirts, and promotional materials from related organizations.
Participants will march in unity with sister marches around the world and the goal is to support action on issues that affect women and children. This is the third annual Women’s March, but it will be the first one held in Lee County.
A news release says Sunday’s march organizers felt a unified voice in speaking out on equality for all women, access to healthcare, economic justice, protection of the environment and the end to violence against women and children.
The Women’s March Fort Myers group’s website, womensmarchfortmyers.org, calls the march “a women-led movement that will bring together people of all genders, ages, races, cultures, political affiliations, disabilities and backgrounds.”
The website says the march’s purpose is “to affirm our shared humanity and pronounce our bold message of advocacy and self-determination.”
Head of the publicity committee for the group, Susan McGuire, says she’ll be happy if 500 people come out this weekend to show their support.
McGuire says the founder of the march, Marian Frane, came up with the idea in November and that “everything came together in three months.”
Since she didn’t ask people to confirm, McGuire isn’t sure how many will attend.
“You can’t track posts well on Instagram,” she said. “But Facebook is reaching about 3,000 people. If only about a quarter of that amount come, we would get 800 or 900 attendees.”
Speakers and musicians have been a familiar sight at other Women’s Marches in the past.
Democratic candidate for state senate, Annisa Karim, will emcee the event.
Speakers include local leader and school board chair, Gwyn Gittens; former congressional candidate, David Holden; Kathy Mayo from Fort Myers/Naples NOW (National Organization for Women); Vice-President of Planned Parenthood SWFL, Arlene Feddo, and Christine Kobie from Community Educator ACT.
Speakers will address topics such as health, education and LGBTQ rights. Service agencies and groups will also host informational tables.
Musicians include Love Your Rebellion with Angela Page and Frankie Colt. Singer songwriter Annie Wenz will also perform.
Mary Lewis Sheehan and Jamilla Brooks will provide poetry for the day.
Sponsors include Naples/Ft Myers NOW, Pine Island ROAR (Rise Up, Organize, Agitate, Resist), the Democratic Progressive Club of Lee County, and Lee OFA Indivisible.
McQuire says the musicians, speakers and sponsors all help to solidify the march’s message.
“You need to have a common understanding of why we’re marching and what we’ve accomplished,” McGuire said. “We need to understand our goals.”
McGuire was part of a group that marched in the Women’s March on Washington in 2017 after President Trump was inaugurated.
“We had such a large contingent of people who rode up on the buses to D.C.,” she said. “That was so affirming that when we got back to Pine Island, we formed our own group to work on resisting.”
McGuire is also part of a progressive action group called Pine Island ROAR.
“The Trump campaign was intensely offensive that we felt nationwide a need to take action,” McGuire said. “We need to say why this is not OK.”
McGuire says finding a likeminded group at the first march in Washington and in Naples was, “a great relief and affirmation that we’re not alone here that there are others who share our values.”
“Donald Trump made people feel like we need to stand up and be counted in a way we didn’t understand until he was elected,” she said.
But make no mistake, McGuire wants everyone to know that the group does not identify as being anti-anything.
“What we have here,” she said. “Are positive values.”