Women's March in Geneva to encourage political engagement
Organizers of the Fox Valley Women's March say they are kicking off a "big election year" with their second annual demonstration centered around a simple message: Get out and vote.
Spearheaded by We Can Lead Change-Fox Valley, last year's inaugural event aimed to build upon the momentum of the global Women's March movement by encouraging political engagement at the local level, co-organizer Mary O'Connor of St. Charles said.
The march and rally returns to Geneva on Saturday with a new theme - "March to the Polls" - and a similar purpose of inspiring change.
"We believe that voting and participating in our democracy is the most important message of the year," she said. "We continue to believe that the greatest impact we can have is local."
The Fox Valley Women's March begins with a noon rally behind the Kane County Courthouse at 100 S. Third St., followed by a march along Third Street in downtown Geneva. The rally area opens at 11 a.m., as does a mobile voter registration booth that will move to Cafe & Barr after the event.
Guest speakers include Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon, state Rep. Karina Villa, and U.S. Reps. Lauren Underwood, Bill Foster and Raja Krishnamoorthi. Michelle Meyer of Aurora-based Mutual Ground also is scheduled to speak, as are Geneva residents Hannah Paschke and Karoline Anthony, student representatives of the March for Our Lives movement against gun violence.
"The intention of our speakers is to inform us about issues that may be new to us and to get us pumped up to march," St. Charles resident and event co-organizer Sue Sanders said in a statement. "But what's most important is to help inspire marchers to follow through once the event is over by making sure we keep talking to our neighbors and encouraging everyone in our communities to vote."
The march will coincide with hundreds of other demonstrations around the world Saturday, including a rally and march in Woodstock and a "march only" event in Chicago. Organizers of Women's March Chicago also plan to hold a "March to the Polls" in October.
The first national Women's March was held in January 2017, along with sister events that drew millions worldwide. The movement has sparked a wave of activism throughout the suburbs, inspiring O'Connor to form We Can Lead Change-Fox Valley.
A group of about 10 volunteers from the grass-roots organization stepped up to host the Geneva event last year after Women's March Chicago organizers opted out of a 2019 anniversary march, O'Connor said. More than 700 people participated in the inaugural Fox Valley demonstration, she said. Organizers hope to at least double that number Saturday.