LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend on downtown Los Angeles today for the third annual Women's March, with famed lawyer Gloria Allred, U.S. Rep. Katie Hill, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis expected to speak at the event.
The march, which first was organized in opposition to the inauguration of President Donald Trump in 2017, drew hundreds of thousands of people in L.A. last year as part of a nationwide series of marches, including in Washington D.C., Chicago and New York.
The Women's March Los Angeles is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. at Pershing Square, with attendees set to start marching at 10 a.m. and reaching Grand Park near City Hall at 11 a.m. A series of politicians, activists, celebrities and others are scheduled to speak or perform for several hours.
“We can't afford to sit on the sidelines again. We must be present and organized, we know what happens when we sit on the sidelines, we let other people choose their brand of democracy for us and we simply can't afford that,” said Emiliana Guereca, director and co-founder of the Women's March Los Angeles.
As with last year's event, organizers are stressing that the march is not a protest.
“This is a Pro Peace, Pro Inclusivity Event focused on marginalized voices and the power of voting,” the event's website says. “Part of our resistance is focusing on how we will use our vote to create the future we want. We respectfully ask that `anti' sentiments are not the focus of this event. This does not mean that we don't acknowledge the need or desire to feel anger and to protest. However, this is not the focus of this event. Thank you for your understanding.”
Marches will also be held in Santa Ana and Riverside County, along with others around California and the country. More information on the march can be found at https://womensmarchla.org/.
The Women's March won't be the only large event being held in downtown Los Angeles. Thousands are expected to join Archbishop Jose Gomez for OneLife LA, an annual anti-abortion event.
OneLife LA starts at noon at La Placita/Olvera Street before heading to Los Angeles State Historic Park. More information on the event can be found at https://onelifela.org/event-details/.