CALL TO ACTION! Central Oregon Womxn's March: Reclaiming Power!
We at Embrace Bend are calling all our members to join us at this year's Central Oregon Womxn's March in Redmond on Saturday, January 18 starting at 10:00 am. Following a brief, pre-march rally/gathering at Centennial Park outside of Redmond City Hall, we will march through downtown Redmond. During the march and after, there will be two "salon" exhibits open to the public. At one salon, we will explore Oregon's history of racism and immigration through an interactive timeline, which will be at the Redmond Proficiency Academy, McClay Performing Arts Center at 640 SW Evergreen Ave., Redmond, OR 97756. At the other salon, there will be an exhibit called "Leaders who look like us," which will explore individual activists and change-makers of color, which will be hosted at the Becky Johnson Center at 412 SW 8th St, Redmond, OR 97756. These salons are a community-building and educational opportunity for those participating in the march to engage with exhibits and materials that shed a light on why we march, who we are standing in solidarity with, and why this is so important. There will also be a post-march celebration to close the day. We also encourage folks to take this opportunity to explore Redmond and support their local businesses.
We are also looking for volunteers to support the organizers of the march. Members of the Embrace Bend board will be hosting the salon with the Oregon timeline exhibit. We are looking for 3-5 others to join us at the salon, specifically. Our duties will include: serving coffee to guests as they float through the salon, keeping the space clean, and guiding visitors through the exhibit. If you are interested in volunteering with us at this salon or in other areas of the march, please contact Lauralei Garrity at lauralei.garrity@gmail.com.
This march is incredibly special in that it is very different from previous marches and we are excited to share a little bit with you about those changes!
Why the X in womxn?
The organizers of the Womxn's March chose to spell women with an X, because the X represents the intersection of our lives’ unique circumstances that overlap to oppress womxn, especially disabled, Black, Indigenous, Queer, Trans, immigrant, Latinx, and non-Christian womxn. The X represents the wounds that oppression has caused and how those wounds intersect across various communities. It's vitally important that we acknowledge those wounds, honor them with the respect they deserve and work together to heal. The X in womxn places those wounds at the forefront and urges each of us to examine them in ourselves and in those we love with a critical eye for justice. There are even more stories and reasons behind this choice, so join us at the march to hear more about the X from multiple perspectives!
Why Redmond?
The march has been moved to Redmond, making it accessible to Central Oregon communities like Sisters, Madras, Prineville, Warm Springs, Bend, and more. Even if you don't live in Redmond, we encourage you to stand in solidarity with us there, just as you would if the march was in Bend. The organizers of the march are also encouraging folks to consider the environment and carpool to the march. This is a great chance to get together with friends, family, and loved ones!
How is this march different?
By actively centering Women of Color, Indigenous women, and Queer womxn, the organizers for this year’s March are intentionally building intersectional community so that our fight liberates all. The organizing committee is made up primarily of young people from these groups, whose voices have traditionally been censored or ignored, especially in White feminist spaces. The goal is not just to create a meaningful March, but to also build coalitions based on trust and equity so that future organizing can grow organically around community-based needs across Central Oregon. The issues guiding this March have been present in Central Oregon for a long time. The organizers honor the continuous, on-going labor of Women of Color and Queer activists in this region, who have been leading the fight for justice and who have modeled systems of resistance that heal and dismantle oppression.
Accessibility:
The march will have an ASL interpreter present, as well as Spanish-English translators.
We at Embrace are proud to support this march and these organizers. We hope you will join with us come Saturday!