Thousands of people marched along West Broad Street Sunday afternoon, one week before the Women’s March on Washington in D.C.
The event was part of a grassroots effort advocating for women’s rights in healthcare and politics.
“I never thought I would be doing this in my wildest dreams,” said Mary Relotto, who participated in the Columbus march and plans to travel to Washington D.C. next weekend.
“Our rights are human rights. Human rights are women's rights,” said Relotto. “It's not about denouncing the incoming president -- it's about making sure that congress and senate know that we are here and we are going to make ourselves aware.”
Many of the marchers carried signs that read messages like: "Our bodies, our minds, our power." The feeling so powerful that men were also motivated to join the national movement.
“What I see here today are a few thousand people who really care about our community,” said Jay Dascenzo, who was invited to the march by a friend. He said he was not planning to attend the march in D.C. prior to Sunday’s event.
“I just decided today because of this march. I looked around and I saw so many people so passionate about issues that are near and dear to my heart that I just felt empowered and invigorated,” Dascenzo said.
For men like Dascenzo, women's rights equal family rights -- which impact men and children, too. The group’s goal is to help the country move forward.
“We're not moving forward fast enough,” said Relotto. “We're taking these baby steps -- they are too small. We have to start striding with bigger strides.”
The Women’s March on Washington will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21. For event details, click here.