Donna Owens
The March For Black Women aimed to make a “bold public statement against racial injustice, reproductive oppression, and violence against Black women.” The demonstration was a collaborative effort of organizations that included Black Women’s Blueprint, Black Youth Project 100, Trans Sisters of Color Project and SisterSong: The National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective.
Scroll through to see some of the most powerful imagery captured on camera as hundreds took to the streets of Washington, D.C. to lend their voices to the fight for Black women and racial justice.
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Hundreds of African American women and their allies marched Saturday in the nation's capital and cities across the country, in a display of sisterhood, feminism and empowerment.
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“We are marching to say that Black women’s lives matter, and to call for an end to systems and policies that deny our dignity." - Monica Simpson, Executive Director of SisterSong/M4BW Co-Chair
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Marchers assembled in the district’s Lincoln Park, hearing from speakers such Opal Tometi, founder of Black Lives Matter and writer/activist Michaela Angela Davis, among others.
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Just before the march began, the multi-racial, intergenerational crowd of supporters paused to cite the names of Black women whose lives have been lost to violence, before proceeding to the National Mall.
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The group marched en masse to the Department of Justice, where they converged with the March for Racial Justice. Participants ranged from Women’s March leader, Linda Sarsour, to veteran activist Gloria Steinem.
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The March for Black Women coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Million Woman March in Philadelphia, as well as “Red Summer” in 1919, which saw Black sharecroppers massacred by white mobs during after organizing for better pay from plantation owners.
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“We march for Black Mamas, Black grannies, Black babies and Black families." - Monica Simpson, Executive Director of SisterSong/M4BW Co-Chair
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The demonstration was a collaborative effort of organizations that included Black Women’s Blueprint, Black Youth Project 100, Trans Sisters of Color Project and SisterSong: The National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective.
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Sister marches were held in cities across the country including Miami, Oakland, Milwaukee, Birmingham and Chicago, to name a few.
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"Black women have been at the center of many different types of oppression--economic injustice, gender and sex based violence, police brutality. It never really occurs to people that Black women are experiencing all those types of things at the same time." - Danielle Hurd, URGE
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The marchers chanted “Hey hey, ho ho, these racist policies have got to go!” and waved homemade signs with glitter and messages like “Black is Still Beautiful.”
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"We have so many biases and things stacked up against us. It's important for America and the world to hear we're not treated equally." - Rachael Edwards, Baltimore College Student
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"Historically, across movements, Black women show up but we don't see that reciprocated towards us." - Danielle Hurd, URGE
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"Black women have so much power in this country that goes unrecognized and uncelebrated." - Brittany Willis, Special Education Teacher
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"This march is a chance for us to gather and show a physical and outward expression of our solidarity." -Brittany Willis, DC Special Education Teacher
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