Women's Rights are #BiggerThanRoe Southeastern Virginia

Update: We will be at the Courthouse this Sunday at 3pm, come rain or come shine!

Predicting the weather is often a fool’s errand. As we learned at a Women’s Event last year, people are happy to rally in the rain. Bring an umbrella!!! You can protect your posters with clear Lawn and Leaf Bags (we get ours from Harris Teeter - 39 gallon bags) and ladies, waterproof mascara stops the “raccoon effect” :)

We are ALL born free and equal in dignity and rights. The Supreme Court of the U.S. and the United States Congress have failed in their obligation to protect, respect, and uphold our human rights. The women's wave delivered a blow to anti-freedom politicians in the 2022 midterms, and now we are taking the fight out of D.C. and into every single state in this country.

On Sunday, January 22, 2023, on the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we will make it clear to Governor Youngkin that we will not sit back idly as he tries to pass ABORTION BANS in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We will gather from 3:00pm -4:30 pm at the Williamsburg James City County Courthouse, located at 5201 Monticello Avenue, Williamsburg, as we mourn the loss of nearly 50 years of constitutional protections and send a clear message through our collective voices raised in outrage that:
The midterms were just the beginning. We are not going gently. We are taking our fight to every state house and every state legislator in this country. We are putting all politicians at every level of government on notice: If you come for our families, our freedoms, or our future, we are coming for your seat. Our movement is strong. Our movement is growing.

Our movement is #BiggerThanRoe

RSVP at: https://www.facebook.com/events/3116013128623633

We are so fortunate to have such a great group of speakers joining us on the day: Former Representative Elaine Luria, Delegate Mike Mullin, representing Virginia's 93rd District, Herb Jones, our once and future Candidate for Congress in VACD01, Dr. Camilla Buchanan, MD, and the Reverend Max Blalock from the College of William and Mary Wesley Foundation.

If you need ideas for posters, (we have a limited amount for people to borrow), the suggestions from the National Organizers are:
•Our Movement is #BiggerThanRoe
•___ (Trans, Immigrant, etc.) Rights are Human Rights
•Roe was the Floor, NOT the Ceiling
•Pro-Child, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice
•Pro-Worker, Pro-Woman, Pro-FREEDOM
•Protect Our Freedoms
•We Won’t Go Back
•You Can’t Stop Us

After the speeches, you can RALLY with your signs as we listen to great music (we will have a few chairs available) or you can MARCH while joining in chants as we say NO to atrocities against Women and Others as they expand across the Nation!!! We will use the same route as last October, minus one block. (Most thought it was too long before.) The route will be:
Exit the Courthouse and head right - down to Ironbound Road. Cross at the light over to the other side of Monticello and march down to the light at the Post Office, New Town Avenue, then cross back over Monticello and proceed back to the Courthouse. You can always break off earlier and return to the Courthouse, if needed.

We call on state and local leaders to:
1. Protect Our Freedoms
Anti-freedom politicians want to control us and deny us our rights: to decide if and when we grow our families, to choose who we love and marry.
We call on our elected leaders to keep government regulations out of our bodies and our bedrooms. Reverse abortion bans and expand people’s access to reproductive healthcare.
Our local and state legislators should be passing laws to help people, not control them.
2. Support Working Families
-Most of us have felt the strain of inflation on our wallets, whether it's gas, groceries, or tampons.
-The same corporations that hold down our wages are bragging to their Wall St. shareholders that they’re making bank by raising our prices.
-Our leaders must side with working families against greedy politicians who demonize those of us struggling to make ends meet, trying to get us to blame each other for the hardships their corporate donors create.
-We are counting on our leaders to make wealthy corporations pay what they owe our state through taxes, so we can make our country a place where we all have what we need to overcome our challenges & keep our families safe & well.
3. Side With the Future
-Whether we are Black or white, Asian or Latina, gay, straight or trans, Native or newcomer, most of us want the same things: To be able to support ourselves and our families, to live healthy lives in safe and supportive communities.
-But manipulative politicians are campaigning on hate and lies, sowing fear and division that threatens our future.
-We call on our elected leaders to stand on the right side of history and side with the future against hateful bans that target our neighbors, strip away our rights, and take us backward.
-Our legislators must protect children’s freedom to learn, to be themselves and pursue their dreams, no matter what they look like, how they identify, or where they come from. We must defend our teachers, healthcare workers, and everyone who is part of the village that it takes to raise a child. Our future depends on it.

As with our previous events, the same rules apply. We will not engage with counter-protesters. If an issue arises, please notify one of the event organizers, who will be wearing Williamsburg JCC Indivisible t-shirts. We will not engage in any acts of violence or violation of any applicable laws or engage in civil disobedience. All actions will be peaceful. Everyone participating in this event will be required to behave lawfully to ensure the safety of event participants and will seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values. We will obey the orders of authorized event marshals and law enforcement authorities. Event organizers will not be responsible for any injury or damage if any were to occur during this event. We will park in the Courthouse parking lot without blocking access lanes and will remove any trash that is left.
Please remember that we are still in a pandemic and your health, and that of those around you, is especially important. We are committed to maintaining public health measures to practice safe protesting during the pandemic. All event participants are expected to wear a mask, maintain social distancing, have weighed their own risk in attending, and follow all local safety guidelines at minimum, and any safety instructions from hosts that exceed local law.
INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!!!

61
Attendees
Starts on
Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 3:00 PM EST
Ends on
Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 4:30 PM EST
Williamsburg James City County Courthouse
5201 Monticello Avenue
Williamsburg, VA, 23188
United States
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