Two thousand Colorado men and women participated in "We Are Women" events on Saturday, which included a Rally, a March/Parade, pre- and post-event concerts, and a flashmob at the Colorado State Capitol.
Numerous simultaneous events were going on in Denver on Saturday, yet the following community leaders stood proudly with Colorado women. Some, like House District 35 Democratic Candidate Armando Valdez, drove hundreds of miles to attand. Some of the high-profile attendees managed to attended the funeral of Democrat Paul Sandoval, and still attend the March afterward.
Legislators in attendance:
House Representatives Crisanta Duran (D-HD5),
Lois Court (D-HD6),
Su Ryden (D-HD36),
Jonathan Singer (D-HD11),
Beth McCann (D-HD8),
Rhonda Fields (D-HD42),
Joe Miklosi (D-HD9),
State Senators Morgan Carroll (D-SD29),
Gail Schwartz (D-SD5),
Betty Boyd (D-SD21),
Linda Newell (D-SD26),
Evie Hudak (SD 19),
Pat Steadman (D-SD31),
Brandon Shaffer (D-SD17),
Former Legislator, Dianna Primavera (D-HD33)
Andy Kerr (D-HD26), was later photographed along the parade route.
State Senator Irene Aguilar quickly jumped on the "We Are Women Colorado" facebook page, and apologized for not being able to attend. Senator Aguilar, a popular speaker at Health Care for All Colorado events for a number of years, has been a regular attendee at pro-women's health rallies in the past.
Performers:
Pre and post-event concert by The Foxfield Four (formerly the David James Band)
Musical Comedy by "The Raging Grannies"
National Award-winning Poetry Slam Artists, Suzi Q and Jen Rinaldi
Sami DeBell and Company performed a surprise flashmob at the State Capitol, and then joined the March, adding to the parade numbers.
Candidates:
Brandon Shaffer (D-CD4),
Dave Anderson (I-CD5),
Joe Miklosi (D-CD6),
Armando Valdez (D-SD35),
Mike Foote (D-HD12),
JM Fay (I-HD41),
Tracy Kraft Tharp (D-HD29),
Paul Rosenthal (D-HD9),
Lorna Idol (D-HD25),
Jonathan Singer (D-HD11),
Pier Cohen (D-HD60)
Mary Parker (D-HD22)
Donovan ODell (D-HD38)
(Nancy Todd D-HD41, and husband Terry Todd, D Candidate for HD41, helped with the planning of the event but couldn't be there.)
Don't see your legislators or candidates for office here? Call them and find out why not. Note the two independent candidates in the above list. Notably absent were all Colorado Republican legislators and candidates, for any office.
Community Leaders and Activists:
Human Rights Attorney Beth Klein
Unitarian Universalist Reverend Dr. Nori Rost
Rosemary Harris Lytle, CO NAACP State President, ACLU
Personal story by Activist Kelly Everitt
DeAna Jiminez, Co-Chair of Colorado 9-5, with her children
Native American Activist and former CO State Trustee, Karen Wilde
Former First Lady of the State of CO, Dottie Lamm
Nancy Perlmutter, wife of Congressman Ed Perlmutter
Several attendees commented upon the best speeches of the day, with many agreeing they were by NAACP's Rosemary Harris Lytle, and CD6 Candidate Joe Miklosi.
Lead Organizer Meg Fossinger summarized,
"It was a beautiful day. So many women and children out standing up for their rights... standing up for our rights! It's time for those in power to understand women are not going to stand for the attacks against us. I was thrilled with the diversity of the speakers who were there. The roster included everyone from award-winning national poet Susi Q, to NAACP's Rosemary Harris Lytle, to some amazing politicians like Representative Joe Miklosi and Senator Brandon Schaffer, who are challenging incumbents who do not support women's rights. It was an incredibly inspiring day for women in Colorado."
Congresswoman Diana DeGette's staff was extremely supportive of the events, despite the Congresswoman being at her law school reunion this weekend.
Colorado's Lead Organizers were Nancy Cronk (Aurora), Pat Hansen (CO-Springs), Meg Fossinger (CO Springs), Kristie Wheeler (CO Springs), Kathryn Brusco (Evergreen) and Allison Vail (Aurora)
Colorado women -- remember this list when it is time to volunteer, donate, vote, or subscribe to a newspaper. Your time, your money, and your opionions, matter.
Some memorable moments from Saturday:
Here is the whole two hour video if you want to see it all (except for the pre-event concert and the lunch with NARAL). I hope you watch through the march -- the signs are hillarious.
I'm a little embarrassed to show a video of myself (self-conscious) but the movement is more important. Also, I regret my comment about Susan Daggett -- she had mentioned to me that if she comes, she wanted to blend in with the audience, not be up on stage, so she could enjoy the crowd. My apologies to Susan. :-(
