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Bailey Thompson<\/strong> | News Editor<\/span><\/p>\n With painted cheeks, decorated signs and their own reasons for marching, a substantial crowd of different gender-identities gathered together on the morning of Jan. 19 to support the diversity and strength of womanhood. <\/span><\/p>\n With the first march having only taken place two years ago, the Women\u2019s Wave is back for its third year to \u201charness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change,\u201d according to the mission statement.<\/span><\/p>\n For this particular event, a number of sponsoring organizations and vendors set up camp on the capitol mall while people socialized and waited for the six women who were scheduled to speak before the march.<\/span><\/p>\n The first speaker, Danielle Meyer, is an openly transgender woman who serves as the chair of the Salem Human Rights Commission. She is an activist, a public speaker and a community volunteer. After sharing her story about struggling to come to a place of confidence in who she is, Meyer had a message for those present.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFind a way to physically participate in the community,\u201d Meyers said. \u201cIt\u2019s important that we work for the team of humanity, not just for the team of women or certain religions or political beliefs. We do our work to unconditionally help everyone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n After Meyers, Sarah Bennett \u2014 a wife and mother who works both as a caretaker and in the Oregon National Guard \u2014 emphasized the worth of traditionally undervalued jobs like caretaking to the crowd and encouraged them not to see such work as insignificant or unimportant.<\/span><\/p>\n Following Bennett, Shelaswua Bushnell Crier, a teacher, community activist and lawyer spoke about the importance in seeking unity in the midst of chaos and hatred.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s make an effort to talk to one another. Let\u2019s make an effort to talk to people who don\u2019t necessarily agree with us on everything,\u201d said Crier. \u201cEverybody has a story. That person who voted for Trump has a story. There\u2019s a reason.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Crier then stated that the only way the United States will be able to progress is if its citizens choose to embrace each other and work together, despite any differences they may have.<\/span><\/p>\n During the event, Crier\u2019s two daughters also shared their gifts in singing \u201cQuiet\u201d by MILCK and \u201cLean on Me\u201d by Bill Withers before the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n Next up, Jennifer Hofmann, author of the political blog \u201cAmericans for Conscious Checklist,\u201d shared how recent events have spurred her to action, and how she hopes that it will do the same to others.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cInstead of fighting the current administration, let us support our neighbors impacted by its intolerant ideas,\u201d said Hofmann. \u201cI challenge you to take your big heart to any community already working for justice and commit to supporting their work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The following speaker, Professor Wendi Warren Binford, brought an important, but a somber message. She has been one of the few private citizens allowed to go and observe the children held at our country\u2019s border, which has left her with a number of horrifying stories.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople ask me, \u2018Is it really as bad as the media reports?\u2019 and it is. In fact, I would say that it\u2019s much worse than you have heard in the media,\u201d said Warren Binford. \u201cIndeed, today you can be assured that there are children in cages down on our country\u2019s border.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the horrendous scenes she witnessed, Warren Binford has a vision for the future.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe need to make sure that our children know another America \u2014 the America you represent, the America I\u2019m fighting for, the America we need to take back,\u201d said Warren Binford.<\/span><\/p>\n The final speaker of the day was Maria Reyes Patino, an immigrant from Oaxaca, Mexico who is a DACA recipient and works with the Oregon DACA coalition to help educate immigrants about what is happening in our system and to help support them. She is also an addiction treatment specialist and a college student.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am being silenced because you see my skin before you see my heart,\u201d said Reyes Patino. \u201cI am proud of my culture \u2014 where I come from \u2014 because I find beauty in my brain and in my strength.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She also issued a challenge to those in attendance: passivity is not enough.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to be not racist and not homophobic \u2014 we have to be anti-racist and anti-homophobic,\u201d said Reyes Patino. \u201cAnd the best we can help those around us is to educate ourselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/files\/2019\/01\/WomenMarch-copy-819x1024.jpg\")
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