The new Montezuma Alliance for Unity will sponsor the Women’s March for Unity on Saturday in Cortez in solidarity with the march in Washington, D.C.
The march will start at the Cortez Welcome Center at noon and cover several blocks along East Main Street and Montezuma Avenue. Similar marches are planned across the nation on Saturday to show solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington.
The Alliance is made up of five local groups – the Montezuma County Democratic Party and Democratic Women, the local League of Women Voters, the Mancos Blues Ensemble and the Resource and Energy Action Plan of Montezuma County. This is the Alliance’s first public event, and the group also plans to hold a Unity Day in March.
Barbara Stagg, an Alliance organizer, said the group hopes to call attention to women’s rights, climate issues and “the extreme need for unity in our community.” Everyone is invited.
“We have lots of men coming,” Stagg said. “It’s not just a women’s march. It’s for all people.”
About 140 people have expressed interest in the march on the Alliance’s Facebook page. She encouraged participants to bring a sign with a respectful slogan, arrive early and park at the Cortez Municipal Outdoor Pool.
After the march, participants may gather at the Cortez Welcome Center to mingle over refreshments.
In Dolores, Rebecca Busic and Lisa Holtz have organized an event at the Dolores River Brewery that will live-stream the Women’s March on Washington, starting at 7:45 a.m. Supplies will be available for anyone who wants to make a sign to take to the Cortez march later in the day. The event also will include a time for participants to share inspirational quotes or stories, and a “moment of silence and solidarity” for all the women’s events across the country. Like Stagg, Busic said she wants a positive message.
“We’re not out to bash anyone,” she said. “We’re just trying to bring attention to these issues and start a discussion.”
A separate march Saturday in La Plata County begins Saturday at noon. Called “Standing on the Side of Love,” the march starts at the train station in Durango. Participants are invited to bring a sign supporting their cause, such as rights for women, LGBT people, immigrants or all minorities.
For more information on the Cortez march, go to the Montezuma Alliance for Unity Facebook page, or contact Glynis Verrazzano at yesiamone@gmail.com or Tulli Kerstetter at tullike@gmail.com.