Cari Carpenter, Director for the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies,
was able to attend the event, "I was delighted to be able to join in yet another
march to show the country - and indeed, the world - that women have not given up,
and will never give up demanding justice for all of us: women of color, the LGBTQ
community, the disabled, those of different religions, immigrants, and others.
As Audre Lorde once said, 'I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her
shackles are very different from my own.'
"One marcher, Casie Fox, was proud that Morgantown hosted their own Women’s
March this year, “It was good to see so many people still showing up one year later.
I went to the Women's March in Washington, D.C. last year and remember having the
thought there that while it was wonderful that so many showed up to march that
day that people would sadly forget and lose momentum over the course of the four
years to follow. So far, that hasn't been the case, and it's been inspiring
to see. I am excited that Morgantown hosted its own March. We have a very
committed group of activists in this community. It's good to know I live
in a town where so many people share the same values that I do and are working
toward progress.”
The march was officially titled “Handmaid’s Protest – Women’s March Still Strong One Year Later”. Many of the marchers were dressed in costume in reference to The Handmaid’s Tale, a novel by Margaret Atwood. The novel tells a tale of a patriarchal religious society that begins to strip all rights away from its female members. Many draw connections to some of the novel’s tropes and utilize these costumes as a powerful message that the removal of rights and liberties should remain a fictional tale.
The march was officially titled “Handmaid’s Protest – Women’s March Still Strong One Year Later”. Many of the marchers were dressed in costume in reference to The Handmaid’s Tale, a novel by Margaret Atwood. The novel tells a tale of a patriarchal religious society that begins to strip all rights away from its female members. Many draw connections to some of the novel’s tropes and utilize these costumes as a powerful message that the removal of rights and liberties should remain a fictional tale.