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    • The Vermont Women’s Rally brings together hundreds of people in Montpellier: why they participated
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    The Vermont Women’s Rally brings together hundreds of people in Montpellier: why they participated

    Umito Posted on

    On Saturday, November 2, Vermonters once again donned pink hats and gathered on the Statehouse lawn in Montpellier for the annual Women’s Rally – the “sister” event of national gathering taking place simultaneously in Washington DC

    The hundreds of participants, dressed in winter clothing and holding colorful signs, stretched from the road to the top of the steps. Most of the participants were middle-aged or elderly women, but a few young women, families, and even a few men and boys also stood outside the palace.

    The two-hour rally began at 10 a.m. and included speeches from prominent Vermonters such as former Gov. Madeleine Kunin, Attorney General Charity Clark, first transgender gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist, activist native Beverly Little Thunder and former state Rep. Kiah Morris. Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch also gave speeches. The gathering also hosted performances by singer-songwriter Patti Casey, the Taiko Drummers, Vermont Poet Laureate Bianca Stone, and musicians Dwight and Nicole.

    Even though most of the speakers refused to mention the former president by name, Donald Trump was widely mentioned and identified as one of the main reasons they stood in front of the capital building that morning.

    “This is the most important election of our lifetimes,” said host Melinda Moulton to cheers and waving. Harris-Walz signs.

    “He says he’s going to protect us,” said Kunin, 91, referring to Trump’s recent rally in Wisconsin at which he said he would “protect” women with or without their consent.

    “No thanks,” said Kunin, who referred to Trump as simply “someone from the other side.” “Take back your protection. We are not your little sister. We are equal to our big brothers, whether you like it or not.”

    Protection of the right to abortion and women’s rights

    Reproductive rights, particularly abortion, were a central point of the gathering. Rally attendees held up various pro-choice signs, some even decorated with uteruses.

    One of the most common signs featured the chant “We will not go back” – a phrase frequently uttered throughout the two-hour rally.

    Vicki Stetson said she believes America’s progress on women’s rights is currently “under threat,” which she says is evidenced by the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

    “I’m here for my granddaughters,” said Stetson, who may not have the same reproductive rights as she did as a young woman.

    Jude Prashaw lamented that “guns have more rights than women,” which she described as “inherently wrong.”

    But Prashaw remains tentatively hopeful for the future.

    “I hope that, like the civil rights era, justice will prevail,” Prashaw said. “We just have to work really hard to get there.”

    Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at [email protected].

    Umito
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