Community Corner
Women's March on Washington and Atlanta March for Social Justice Jan. 21
Congressman John Lewis joins speakers' list as women plan march in Atlanta and D.C. a day after Donald Trump's inauguration.

ATLANTA, GA -- Dismayed by what they describe as nasty rhetoric during the 2016 election cycle, two groups are rallying people in Georgia and Atlanta for marches that call attention to injustice against women and historically disenfranchised people.
The Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women is slated to take place Jan. 21, one day after the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump.
In Atlanta, Congressman John Lewis, a recent punching bag of Trump lately, was added to the speakers' list, organizers said.
Find out what's happening in Atlantafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Read more: Trump jumps on Lewis again via Twitter
The Atlanta event will begin at the Center for Civil and Human Rights on Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard and end at the Georgia State Capitol.
Find out what's happening in Atlantafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The rally is being held in conjunction with the Women's March on Washington, also slated for Jan. 21. The larger Washington rally is expected to attract more than 100,000 people, including celebrities such as Katy Perry and Cher.
"The Atlanta March for Social Justice & Women will be a peaceful demonstration of solidarity bringing together members of underrepresented communities, women, and their allies in Georgia and nationally," a message on the group's website says.
In an email interview with Patch, co-organizer Gina Gareau-Clark said that the march will be a show of unity for all those who feel that their human rights are in jeopardy.
"We march for social justice. I am unsure at what point that not harming another person became a political issue. We invite all of Georgia's politicians to march with us. We invite Georgians of all political views to march with us," she said.
Read more: Patch interview with Atlanta march co-organizer
The Atlanta organizers are calling for 20,000 people to come out to raise awareness of women's issues in Georgia and nationwide. There are similar marches planned in cities across the country.
"We will empower women with the essential steps that they need to take ownership of themselves, the politics here in Georgia and all issues concerning women," attorney Gerald Griggs, an organizer, said in a video posted on social media.
The Georgia chapter of the march is encouraging people to gather at the National Mall to "show our presence in numbers too great to ignore," the group says on its Facebook page.
"The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us -- women, immigrants of all statuses, those with diverse religious faiths particularly Muslim, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native and Indigenous people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities & mental illness, the economically impoverished and survivors of sexual assault," the group says on its Facebook page. "We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear."
Image via Pixabay
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