De la Guerra Plaza was once again the scene for a Saturday protest, this week to mark International Women’s Day, celebrated around the world.
A large crowd met at noon at De la Guerra Plaza. Dozens in the crowd waived signs with statements that supported women and criticized the current presidential administration.
The World Dance for Humanity led the crowd in a spirited display of unity.
The event was organized locally by the Santa Barbara Women’s March. Earlier in the day, another group, with some of the protesters overlapping, stood outside the Tesla dealership in Santa Barbara to protest Elon Musk.
Michal Lynch, a longtime Santa Barbara resident and organizer for the Women’s March, told the crowd that she purposely did not invite elected officials because she wanted the crowd to focus on women and community organizations. A few did attend the event.
“We need to stand together with everybody,” Lynch said, to fire up the crowd at the beginning.
There was no formal program of speakers, but organizations were welcome to speak or shout out their name to the crowd.
One of the speakers talked about the nexus between social justice and environmentalism.
“A lot of the people who have experienced the worst effects of climate change happen to be women,” said Summer Smith, a UCSB student and a coordinator for the Old Growth Forest Campaign for the California Public Interest Research Group. “This is due to a lot of the social and gender norms that exist. Women tend to have less power in society and decision-making power over the issues that involve climate change.”
After a handful of speakers and dancing, the crowd marched up State Street and then returned to De la Guerra Plaza. They marched to songs such as “I’m Every Woman,” “I Will Survive,” and “Roar.”
