‘We won’t be silent’: Hundreds show support for International Women’s Day in Geneva

Hundreds lined the Route 38 bridge over the Fox River Saturday to rally for International Women’s Day and protest the policies of President Donald Trump’s administration.

“It’s important for me to support democracy, and to support women, and to help Americans understand that a lot of us are not happy with what’s going on,” said Jackie Vernot of Naperville.

The crowd, estimated at about 1,000 by organizers, waved signs reading, “Women’s rights are human rights,” and chanted, “We won’t be silent,” as myriad drivers honked in support.

“I’m worried about the general attitude of our government toward women,” Vernot said. “I think a lot of our rights are being eroded and our privacy is being eroded and our health care is being taken away.”

Along with “the right to control our own body and our own health — they also seem to want to take away a lot of our rights that we’ve taken for granted for generations, like the ability to get employed and get decent pay and to own our own businesses,” she added. “The attitude seems to be that women should go back to being in the home.”

Several demonstrators echoed that sentiment, saying the U.S. was regressing in terms of civil rights.

Helene Mikulik of St. Charles said she worried that “my granddaughter is going to suffer because of this.

“They want us to be in the kitchen cooking and having babies. It’s just ridiculous,” Mikulik said.

Susan Gara of Winfield added, “in this administration, we are treated or will be treated more like second-class citizens.”

She came out because “I have to do something. And I don’t have millions of dollars to donate. I need to do this for my daughter and my granddaughters.”

In addition to the overturn of Roe v. Wade, protesters cited concerns about mass layoffs by the Department of Government Efficiency, cuts to health care and universities, and the White House’s attitude toward Russia and Ukraine.

“Having good government at all levels is essential,” said Arad Boxenbaum of Geneva.

“And when we don’t have that, when we have elected officials in my opinion, like Donald Trump and his band of sycophants who are not just failing to do their job but actively trying to harm other people, firing federal workers in the thousands, striving to take away fundamental freedoms like a woman’s right to chose — it’s really frustrating.”

The mixed crowd included Kate Steel and her daughter, Elina, age 8, who made a sign reading, “GIRLS ARE POWERFUL.”

“I’m here because I don’t like President Donald Trump or anything going on right now. My daughter is here for girls,” said Steel.

Before heading out, “the way I explained it to her is that in our country we have a right to assemble. I have never practiced it because I never felt there was a time to — until now.”

There were no significant counter demonstrations although one man with a megaphone denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and claimed “Democrats destroyed the Ninth Amendment.”

The event was organized by The Women’s March, We Can Lead Change Fox Valley and Fox Valley Activists.

“The energy was amazing,” said Susan Sanders, cochair of We Can Lead Change Fox Valley. “Young, old, everybody is here, that’s what is so amazing, because we all are feeling this.”