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PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
ATHENS, January 21, 2018
Women’s March 2018:
A simple march that snowballed into a movement
Μια πορεία που έγινε κοινωνικό κίνημα
ATHENS, January 21, 2018 -- On Sunday, January 21, the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March on Washington, people will again come together across seven continents – and in Greece – to take a stand for a world that is equitable, tolerant, just and safe for all.
In Athens, the 2018 Women’s March will begin at 4 p.m. in Syntagma Square. The Athens demonstration is being co-organized by Women’s March Athens and the Women’s Caucus of Democrats Abroad Greece (DAGR). A wide range of women’s and other organizations have been invited to join in. Other efforts are expected around the country.
Last year, in the largest joint demonstration in history, women and men, of all backgrounds, ages, and races, came together, 5 million strong. The Women’s March on Washington became an organic groundswell the day after the 2016 election when a grandmother in Hawaii proposed to 40 of her friends to go march in Washington, D.C. The issues they raised, however, were not limited to the US, and the idea quickly grew into a movement with “sister marches” across the US and around the world.
The broad 2018 theme is ‘Look Back, March Ahead,’ focusing on human rights. Marches in the US have adopted an election-based slogan: ‘Power to the Polls’ (Eξουσία στις κάλπες) to highlight this year’s US Congressional, state and local elections. Globally, Democrats Abroad echo that with ‘March to the Ballot Box’ and efforts to encourage Americans outside the US to register and vote.
Athens organizers decided on “Together We Rise” to emphasize the common interest Greeks and foreigners, women and men, have in a world in which the human rights and the dignity of each person are protected and our planet is safe from destruction.
Maria Kostaki, of Women’s March Athens, said of the local slogan, “‘Together we Rise,’ reminds everyone that it is up to us to do our part….and make our voices heard as one.”
Karen Lee, Chairperson of DAGR, co-organizers of the march, said, “Blatant misogyny sent American women into the streets last year. This year, it’s determination that drives us. I think women everywhere have seen how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. But we’re awake now, we’re talking, engaging, informing ourselves. When women have full parity, others get it, too. So, today, we march in solidarity for human rights for all; tomorrow, we vote. And then we do it again the next year. We’re not going back.”
Kostaki added, “Last year, shocked by what the election of Donald Trump meant for the world, I scrambled to organize the sister march of the Women’s March on Washington here in Athens. This year, I continue to participate because one single protest does not make a movement, it does not create change. The effort is ongoing, constant, even when we are not gathering in protest to voice our demands as humans. My aim is to get more of the Greeks to join us this year, as this is not about the United States, it’s about women’s rights, human rights, all over the world.”
You can find more information about the Women’s March at:
https://www.womensmarch.com/power-to-the-polls
For more information on joining the march in Athens on Sunday January 21st checkout:
https://www.democratsabroad.org/gr_news
https://www.facebook.com/groups/566539853531218/
https://www.facebook.com/DemsAbroadGR/.
A proactive international movement to defend women's rights and those of others in response to the rising rhetoric of far-right populism around the world committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion (https://www.womensmarch.com/mission/). It was based on the priorities of H.E.R.S.: Health, Economic Security, Representation, and Safety:
Health
Healthcare is the foundation of women’s well-being and economic stability. Women’s March Global advocates for access to affordable and inclusive women’s healthcare regardless of nationality, age, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or disability.
Economic Security
Women are powerful drivers of economic growth, and their economic empowerment benefits all nations. Women’s March Global supports the dismantling of economic barriers that obstruct women’s full and equal access to local, national, and global economic systems.
Representation
Women are under-represented globally, adversely affecting our collective health, safety, and economic security. Women’s March Global seeks fair and just representation of women locally, nationally, and internationally.
Safety
Every woman has the need and right to feel physically secure, and security for women should be assured through sound legal practices. Women’s March Global stands behind the principle that women are not to be held accountable for actions that are outside their control — particularly regarding all forms of assault — and that fair legal action must be applied to prevent these crimes.
Everyone is welcome to join DAGR and the Athens Women’s March in a peaceful demonstration to march in protest, again, louder and stronger than before.
See you Sunday, January 21st in Syntagma at 4 p.m. For more information contact march organizers at maria@mariakostaki.com, Info-Greece@democratsabroad.org or klaj4@live.com
For more information and interview requests for Democrats Abroad Greece, contact
Stacey Harris Papaioannou, Media Contact DAGR
staceymykonos@yahoo.com
Democrats Abroad is the official Democratic Party arm for the millions of Americans living outside the United States. We strive to provide Americans abroad a Democratic voice in our government and elect Democratic candidates by mobilizing the overseas vote. Democrats Abroad has committees throughout Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. These Country Committees keep Americans abroad informed of their rights and help them participate in the U.S. political process. Our members live in more than 190 countries around the globe and vote in every state and Congressional district. Democrats Abroad is recognized as a "state" Party by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and is represented on the DNC by eight voting members, as well as at the quadrennial Democratic National Convention. Our online voter registration tool -
votefromabroad.org - makes it easy to request a ballot and vote absentee from any place on the planet.
