Women eager to march for rights
Traverse City Record-Eagle
Sunday, April 25, 2004
By Vanessa McCray Women eager to march for rights Many are introducing kids to activismWASHINGTON, D.C. - The bus was late. More than two hours behind schedule. Most of the women had arrived punctually Friday, filled with a sense of purpose and urgency - they were going to march on Washington for women's rights.
The delay dampened enthusiasm, but resolve remained. "We are women on a mission," said Mary Biagini, her short hair topped with a white captain's hat to signify her position as a bus leader." Biagini's task was not small. She had to get 60 northern Michigan women through a 17-hour bus ride to the nation's capitol, arriving in time and in high spirits for the March for Women's Lives. For many of the women participating in today's march from the Lincoln Memorial to the National Mall, the trip was a chance to introduce their children to activism. And no bus mix-up was going to quell permanently the rowdy, rollicking rally they had planned.
Shelly Campbell of Traverse City was excited to march for the pro-choice cause with her 11-year-old daughter Danielle. "She is our future, and she needs to fight for our rights," Campbell said. Single mom Molly Porter of Traverse City brought along son Will. Yes, she could have stayed home. That would have been easier than bringing along a 4-year-old. But, "This was important to me," Porter said. "It was just something I knew I wanted to do, and with this group of people I knew everyone would keep an eye on him." The bus ride did have its boisterous moments. The mood was still festive at midnight when the bus pulled into a suburban Detroit shopping center. The driver consulted a map while the women mustered a cheer. Maura Brennan said she thinks the march has rejuvenated the women's rights movement in northern Michigan. The number of young people marching, including her 13-year-old daughter Mary O'Neil, made her especially happy. "There are feminists here," Brennan said. "If you go to state and national meetings, it's very inspirational. I want to get young people involved." The young women were just as enthused to be invited. Angie Revallo, a 17-year-old Harbor Springs High School senior, couldn't convince any of her friends to come, so she decided to make the long trek alone. "I see some of my friends and they're like, 'Women's rights? But we already got the vote,'¡" she said. "They live in their world of McDonald's and tube tops."
Revallo can't wait to join a contingent of more than 1,200 Michigan residents at today's march. Many will be wearing a T-shirt - no tube tops here - bearing the slogan, "I'm a Michigan voice for choice." Organizers expect the March for Women's Lives to be the largest pro-choice demonstration ever.
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