Women's March Activists Rally In Las Vegas To Bring Their 'Power To The Polls'
Women’s March activists gathered in Las Vegas on Sunday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the largest single-day protest in U.S. history and to launch a nationwide political action tour.
“Power to the Polls” kicked off at 10 a.m. local time in Sam Boyd Stadium, about 10 miles east of the Las Vegas Strip. Over 4,000 people planned to attend the event, according to its Facebook page. The line-up of speakers included Cher, civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards.
“The Women’s March fueled a feminist revolution,” Richards said. “White women, listen up. We’ve got to do better. ... It is not up to women of color to save this country from itself. That’s on all of us.”
“Last year, we dared to hope for a better, brighter, more inclusive world,” she continued. “And this year, we’re going to go out and build it.”
.@CecileRichards is calling in her white women at the Women’s March in Las Vegas #PowerToThePolls pic.twitter.com/xhR459EeWN
— Sophie (@SophiaKerby) January 21, 2018
Event organizers chose to host “Power to the Polls” in Nevada for several reasons, including its high-profile Senate race ― incumbent Dean Heller is rated by many analysts as the most vulnerable Republican senator seeking re-election this year. A couple of the state’s House races also are expected to be competitive.
“Power to the Polls” followed hundreds of sister marches on Saturday, which brought thousands of protesters to cities nationwide, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Demonstrations continued on Sunday in several U.S. cities and over a dozen other countries.
After this weekend’s anniversary events, the Women’s March founders will begin a national tour of 10 battleground states to encourage Americans to take political action. They’ll partner with local progressive groups to host town halls, candidate trainings, rallies and voter registration events ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
“The national voter registration tour will target swing states to register new voters, engage impacted communities, harness our collective energy to advocate for policies and candidates that reflect our values, and collaborate with our partners to elect more women and progressives candidates to office,” according to the event’s website.
Organizers and participants shared photos and videos from the event on Twitter:
Powerful. Thank you to our indigenous family for continuing to inspire us. #PowerToThePolls pic.twitter.com/qd4sVQtu6L
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) January 21, 2018
All ages showing up for @womensmarch 2018 #PowertothePolls event in #LasVegas. pic.twitter.com/nLYY23Pbh2
— Analise Ortiz (@AnaliseKTNV) January 21, 2018
A special message from Echomarie and Leah about why they’re wearing red today at #PowerToThePolls. #WhyWeWearRed #NativeLivesMatter #WomensMarch2018 pic.twitter.com/72DI1NUf0M
— Women's March (@womensmarch) January 21, 2018
In Nevada for the #PowerToThePolls kickoff! #WomensMarch #GrabEmByTheMidterms pic.twitter.com/WR1sKR5bFF
— Nicole fossier (@NFossier) January 21, 2018
Nevada, doors are officially open at Sam Boyd Stadium. Let us know if you're here and ready to bring your #PowerToThePolls! #WomensMarch2018
📷: @tkocreative pic.twitter.com/eAjgnkMJed— Women's March (@womensmarch) January 21, 2018
#PowerToThePolls #VegasStrong pic.twitter.com/8Q9EW7HQFC
— La Niesha Faith (@LaNieshaFaith) January 21, 2018
Our members are proud to be at @ColorOfChange’s #BlackWomensBrunch and the @womensmarch! A wonderful day to be a Nevadan! #PowerToThePolls #TeamCOC #NCBW pic.twitter.com/dj4FkQwQgu
— 100 Black Women (@NCBWLasVegas) January 21, 2018
This story has been updated with comments from Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards. Please check back for further updates.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.