The second annual Women’s March Los Angeles is scheduled to take place this Saturday and Long Beach’s elected leaders want you to hop on a chartered bus to join them on their journey there.
Organizers have reserved buses for community members to ride for free. All the public needs to do is RSVP here by 8:00PM on Thursday, January 18.
The buses will arrive at 6:00AM at Harvey Milk Park with boarding scheduled to take place from 6:15AM to 6:45AM. The buses will depart at 7:00AM. After the march is over boarding of the buses will take place at 1:00PM with a departure scheduled at 1:30PM. The buses should arrive in Long Beach at about 2:30-3:00PM.
The Los Angeles event itself will kick off with speakers at Pershing Square at 8:30AM followed by the march at 10:00AM that will end at Grand Park. Festivities continue until 3:00PM. While the general theme of the nationwide march is “Power to the Polls”, organizers are calling the local movement #WeRiseStronger.
Joining community members on the bus will be Councilwomen Lena Gonzalez, Jeannine Pearce and Suzie Price.
“After years of seeing more women rising, marching, and sharing their stories, I know what comes after the struggle… We Rise,” Pearce, who is the event’s host, said in a statement. “I continue to be inspired and I know through these collective struggles, We Rise Stronger. We see that the most difficult part of #MeToo is the courage it takes to break the silence especially in the face of people questioning your truth, but what we learned is that for all of us; men, women, and members of the LGBTQ community, our struggles are not for nothing! Our struggles have become our strength.”
Pearce said the #WeRiseStronger movement is about empowerment, community support and healing and to ensure women have the resources, community and safe space to “come out of the shadows and heal.”
“My mother and I are both looking forward to joining the march on Saturday in solidarity with women and men from across the state,” Price said in a statement. “This gathering of people who believe in equality for women throughout the world speaks to the progress we have made, and the progress still to be made. I am proud to participate in drawing greater attention and focus to the inequality women suffer, while also uniting with other women and men in this important movement to continue the progress women need.”
Mayor Robert Garcia and Vice Mayor Rex Richardson are expected to be among those who will see off the community members from Long Beach Saturday morning.
The three buses secured so far have been paid for out of Pearce’s office holder account.Her office is currently looking for someone to help secure a fourth bus. All funds are donor driven and no tax dollars have been, or will be, spent on the buses, said Pearce’s Communications Deputy Devin Ablard.
Harvey Milk Park is located at 195 East 3rd Street.
Editor’s note: this story has been updated with information on how the buses were funded.