Greenville rally 'is about bringing people together'
A Greenville rally labeled as a sister event to the Women's March on Washington on Saturday is "not anti-Trump," according to organizers.
The event is related to a Washington, D.C. march and rally also planned for Saturday, the day after Donald Trump's inauguration.
The D.C. event's mission, listed on the website womensmarch.org, takes a stance against political rhetoric and policy issues that organizers believe marginalize members of communities across the country. Part of the statement reads "We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us."
The Greenville event, while related to the event in Washington, is neither a march or a protest.
"This is an anti-policy rally to express that we want to stand in solidarity, and strengthen a community and increase education," said Michele Augliere, one of the event organizers. "It's more of a call for community involvement and education regarding political processes and policies and trying to get people to actually interact and talk with one another face to face."
Augliere and Michelle Gardner are two of the women behind the rally. They say it's about bringing people in the community together, not excluding anyone.
"We're encouraging Republicans, Democrats, pro-choice, pro-life, this whole rally is about celebrating diversity and accepting that America is a diverse country and that in order for America to be great, we need to realize that our strength lies in our diversity," Augliere said.
The response to the event already has been larger than expected. Gardner and Augliere said they created a Facebook event for the rally less than two weeks ago. So far, more than 1,000 people have said they are going, according to the Facebook page. That, Augliere says, is in addition to those who might not be on Facebook. The original organizer of the event, Jo Anne Mitchell, has been going door-to-door around the Upstate, and the women said flyers soon will be posted, too.
High interest in the event also has triggered a venue change. The rally was originally set to be held in One City Plaza, but will now be in the amphitheater in the lower level of Falls Park from noon until 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Gardner said she felt this was something she could do after the election to make a real impact in the community.
The rally will feature speakers from the Muslim, Jewish, African-American and LGBTQIA communities, as well as a member of city council and civil rights leaders.
The event is the start of what the women hope becomes an Upstate movement.
"This is just the beginning," said Gardner. "We are not just going to have this [rally] and have this amazing outpouring of community and just be like 'OK', because nothing is going to get done that way."
Those interested in attending the rally can find out more on the Facebook Page: Women's March on Washington - Greenville, SC Rally