Houston Philanthropist Heads to D.C. for Women's March

HOUSTON, TX — Gracie Cavnar is on her way to Washington, D.C.

No, the Houston-based philanthropist is not taking office. She is, however, taking a stand.

"I'm marching to lend my voice and send a message that I'm one of millions of women around the nation who feel that women's rights are in danger," she said this week, before traveling to the nation's seat of power. "I'm a child of the '60s, and I recall when a woman could not, for example, open a bank account without the permission of her father or husband. That is not something we want to return to."

Cavnar is one of thousands of women from the Houston area (and from Texas and every other state) traveling to D.C. this weekend to take part in the Women's March on Washington, which is scheduled for Saturday, January 21. What began as a grassroots effort has mushroomed into a nationwide happening.

Cavnar, a Democrat who is active in political causes, wants people to know that she is not marching as a form of whining about Donald Trump's election. She may have not voted for the Republican, but her aim is larger: It's about women.

"Most women must work outside the home now, and depriving anyone of easy access to family planning and health services is unwise, and with what's been going on with Planned Parenthood and other things, it's not fantasy to think that services and rights could be in danger of being yanked away," she said. "To put Planned Parenthood out of business would impact the lives of thousand of women and their families in detrimental ways."

Cavnar, who is returning to Houston on Sunday, said that a lot of her friends will be at the march, and that many attendees decided to make the trip at the last minute.

"It looks as if a lot of hotels in the area blocked off rooms for the inauguration weekend far in advance, but since the winner was not who everyone expected it to be, not as many rooms were needed, so women were able to find places to stay easily," she said.

Protests and demonstrations are, of course, part of the national fabric, and the Women's March is a form of protest, but Cavnar is quick to reinforce that she is not protesting Trump's win. She just wants to do everything she can to make sure he and his administration are listing to women about their reproductive and other rights.

"I'm not protesting that Hillary lost, I'm not marching against Trump," she explained. "I'm joining with other American women to state loud and clear that our rights, all of them, are not up for grabs."

— Image of Gracie Cavnar and George H.W. Bush courtesy Gracie Cavnar