MLK Day, ‘Resist Trump’ rallies, marches planned statewide

(Jan. 9, 2017) — Citizens alarmed about this past election cycle and the impending presidency of Donald Trump are mobilizing across the nation to express their solidarity and their intent to protect human rights, support one another, and fight for social and economic justice — all goals embodied by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Many solidarity marches and rallies are planned, both in conjunction with MLK Day on Monday, Jan. 16 and Trump’s inauguration day on Friday, Jan. 20.

Here are some of the MLK Day and “Resist Trump” events planned around Washington state: (Please contact us if we are missing your event.)

Saturday, Jan. 14 — SEATTLE — A Resist Trump Coalition Town Hall planning meeting hosted by Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Ave., to prepare for Trump’s inauguration and mobilize for solidarity rallies. Get details.

Sunday, Jan. 15 — SEATTLE — A Rally to Protect Health Care will be held at noon on Sunday, Jan. 15 at Seattle’s Westlake Park, 4th & Pine. Special guest speakers will include U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal. Get details.

Monday, Jan. 16 (MLK Day) — In addition to the following rallies/marches, volunteer opportunities are happening across the state. Find one near you.

OLYMPIA — The Washington Education Association, NAACP, and the Washington Paramount Duty coalition are planning a rally on the State Capitol steps on Monday, Jan. 16 starting at 10:30 a.m. The message: Education as a civil right for all students — no matter where they live. Get details.

SEATTLE — Under the theme, “Stop the Hate – Come Together,” the annual MLK Day Rally & March from Garfield High School, 23rd and E. Jefferson, will be Monday, Jan. 16. Workshops will be held starting at 9:30 a.m., the rally in the gym starts at 11 a.m., the march to the Federal Building (2nd & Madison) leaves the school at 12:30 p.m., and a second rally will be held there at approximately1:30 p.m. Get details.

SPOKANE — The MLK Rally and Unity March begins at noon at the Spokane Convention Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Details TBA. Get them here.

YAKIMA — The annual MLK Day peace walk will gather at 11:30 a.m. at MLK Jr. Boulevard and Fifth Avenue in Yakima. The march will start at noon and proceed to the Yakima Convention Center, 10 N. Eighth St. Get details.

Friday, Jan. 20 (Inauguration Day) — SEATTLE — Seattle United for Immigrants and Refugee Families events, including a march and rally, are planned all day on Friday, Jan. 20. The City of Seattle will offer free citizenship application assistance from noon to 3 p.m. at Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall, followed by Know Your Rights/Safety Training sessions. Gather for a rally and march at 1 p.m. at Judkins Park, 2150 S. Norman St., march to the Federal Building (2nd & Madison) beginning at 2:30 p.m., rally there at 4 p.m., and march to Westlake Park (4th & Pine) for a second rally at 5 p.m. Student walkouts are expected throughout the city and UW students will be protesting a Breitbart editor’s speech on campus at 6 p.m. An interfaith service, “Sabbath of Dreams: The Hard Won and the Yet to Be,” will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Temple De Hirsch Sinai (1441 16th Ave.) from 6 to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 21 — SEATTLE — The Seattle Womxn’s March, being held in solidarity with the national Women’s March on Washington D.C to stand up for human rights and social justice, will be Saturday, Jan. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Seattle. JOIN THE LABOR CONTINGENT of the march! Meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Washington State Labor Council, 321 16th Ave. S. (on the march route) to join the march from there to the Seattle Center. Get details.

Saturday, Jan. 21 — VANCOUVER/PORTLAND — A rally and march demonstrating a United Front Against the Trump Agenda will be held Saturday, Jan. 21 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in Vancouver. Participants will gather at Shemanski Park (SW Park/Salmon), march to Waterfront (Salmon St. Springs), where they will join the Portland Women’s March at noon. The Oregon AFL-CIO has endorsed this event and is encouraging affiliated unions to participate. Get details.

The mission statement of the National Women’s March on Washington (D.C) expresses the concerns of many of those who’ll be participating in the above-listed local events:

The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us – immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault – and our communities are hurting and scared. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear.

In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.

We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society. We work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all.

HEAR OUR VOICE.