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Seattle Gears Up For Women's March 2.0

Will James
/
KNKX
Signs from the 2017 Women's March in Seattle

With crowds of more than 100,000 people, last year's Womxn's March On Seattle was dubbed the largest protest march in city history. Organizers hope to do it again this weekend.

Women's March 2.0 begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. 

Saturday is the anniversary of last year's march and of the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

Organizers are expecting tens of thousands of people to turn out this year. But that's what they said last year, too.

"There is a little pressure this year, but of the same accord, it's very exciting," said organizer Ali Lee. 

Lee says some things will be the same: Protesters will still be marching against racism and sexism, and she expects many to wear those iconic pink hats.

But a few things will be different. For one thing, Lee says she's heard people talking about wearing black hats in honor of the #MeToo campaign against sexual violence.

The route has also changed. This year the march begins at Cal Anderson Park, heads down East Pine Street to Westlake Park before continuing up Fourth Avenue to Seattle Center. 

Lee recommends taking public transit, noting the light rail stops at Capitol Hill and Westlake. Volunteers will also be shuttling travelers from the east side of Lake Washington.

Lee also says there's more of a focus this year on action beyond the march. She said last year, "Everybody was very angry, passionate."

"This year is more working with these boots on the ground, communities and organizations that have been working tirelessly on the issues," Lee said.

In addition to Saturday's march, organizations around the city will be participating in Womxn Act On Seattle on Sunday. 

Those organizations will be registering voters and hosting a variety of activities such as lectures and food drives.

A Seattle native and former KNKX intern, Simone Alicea spent four years as a producer and reporter at KNKX. She earned her Bachelor's of Journalism from Northwestern University and covered breaking news for the Chicago Sun-Times. During her undergraduate career, she spent time in Cape Town, South Africa, covering metro news for the Cape Times.