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'We Will Be Heard!': Thousands of Women Just Took Over the Utah State Capitol

While millions around the world gathered for the Women's March on Saturday, thousands of Utahns marched through the snow on Monday—the first day of the Utah state legislative session—to take over the Utah State Capitol and let their voices be heard.
Image via YouTube screengrab / Salt Lake Tribune

On Monday afternoon, thousands of Utahns marched uphill in the snow to the State Capitol in Salt Lake City in solidarity with Saturday's Women's March on Washington. A sea of women donning pink "pussy hats" as well as men and even babies filled the upper level balconies and rotunda for the Women's March on the Utah State Capitol, waving signs calling for equal rights for all people, action on climate change, the fall of the patriarchy, and the impeachment of President Trump.

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Organizers say they decided to delay their march until Monday to coincide with the first day of the 2017 Utah state legislative session. "Many of the worst laws for women are made at the state legislative level," they wrote on Facebook. "On a Saturday, no one would be there at the Capitol to hear us. We will be there Monday so that WE WILL BE HEARD!"

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, that's exactly what happened. "Noise from the demonstration interrupted legislative business," the newspaper reported, "with lawmakers encouraged to speak directly into their microphones in order for debate to be heard over the commotion outside their chamber doors."

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Lydia Ojuka is a member of Utah Women Unite, the grassroots organization that organized the event. According to their website, the group launched last November with the goal of influencing legislative changes that impact women in Utah. "If we had march on Saturday," she says, "it could have made some great pictures. It would have been a great moment for us to feel united … but not nearly as effective as actually getting our voices heard. Physically showing up on the first day of the session sends a strong message that we're here, that we're paying attention, and issues that affect the constituents that are underrepresented will be pushed back on."

At the rally, state Sen. Jim Dabakis announced that he would be introducing an Equal Rights Amendment ratification bill this session, which would guarantee equal rights for women. "The Equal Rights Amendment is three sentences," said the Democratic senator, donning a pink pussy hat himself. "Even in your most Donald Trump, conservative, little bit crazy mind, imagine a way you could be against this. This is what the Equal Rights Amendment says: 'Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State, including Utah, on account of sex.'" The crowd roared.

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I had chills all over and tears in my eyes because I really realized how important this was to so many people. It was beautiful.

Because "Utah and the Mormon Church were very instrumental in killing the Equal Rights Amendment, in its original go-round," Kate Kelly, event organizer and another member of Utah Women Unite, tells Broadly, "we thought it'd be appropriate for Utah to be instrumental in recreating the conversation and getting the momentum going again for the ERA." The ERA fell short of ratification to the US Constitution in 1982, but some advocates believe if they can get the amendment passed by three states and get Congress to modify the expiration clause, the ERA would offer legal standing for protecting women's rights across the country.

View from the third floor around the Capitol building — Brennan Smith (@BrennanJSmith)January 23, 2017

Kelly says in addition to the announcement of the ERA bill proposal, "a lot of voices in Utah that aren't typically heard were featured at the rally," including a Navajo woman who talked about the importance of the Violence Against Women Act, which addresses violence against women on tribal lands. State Sen. Angela Romero was also a speaker; she championed the need for more funding for clearing out the rape testing kit backlog in Utah.

Now that the event is behind them, Ojuka says the work has to continue. Members of Utah Women Unite will be keeping track of the state legislative session and notifying people who sign up for a texting service when issues come up that may impact marginalized groups or women in general, she says. "It wasn't about the warm-fuzzies about the march and raising hell just for one day," she says, even though seeing a record number of people come out in the freezing snow was "tremendously uplifting."

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"As soon as I saw the crowds of people heading up the hill," she says, "I had chills all over and tears in my eyes because I really realized how important this was to so many people. It was beautiful."