Thousands gathered at the state capitol advocating for equality and change.
Women’s March Hawaii marked the one year anniversary of the Women’s March in Washington that brought millions out to protest President Trump’s inauguration.
Today’s rally was a show of solidarity and an effort to inspire everyone to stand up for positive change.
The mission was to “harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change.”
Some wore pink and carried signs. Young, old, women, and men came together to voice their concerns and to advocate for those they love.
Honolulu resident Rolando Venegas attended the event with his fiancé and a friend. They each carried painted portraits of women of different races and religions with the words “We the People” beneath the women’s faces.
“I’m here today cause I want to support the women who have been strong around me,” Venegas explained.
Venegas said he wouldn’t be the man he is today if it weren’t for his mother.
He also stated the role he’d like to play. “I think it’s important to set an example and show others that you know we can be strong and there’s people that are out there and willing to help them as well … I just think that people have been pushed around so much and I always thought that there was going to be a time … to rise and, and with everything going on with the world now, I just I feel like, it’s that time now.”
Seventeen-year-old Kennedy Marx attended the rally with a group of her friends.
They carried signs saying “The future is female and I’m a re-sister.”
Marx and her friends are clearly the next generation of young women refusing to sit silent.
Their message to other teens?
“To speak up for what you believe because that’s important,” Marx said. “And if you think something’s wrong, you should do something about it. Don’t just be quiet.”
Nadine Lee grew up in Chinatown and moved to Nuuanu after she retired.
She said she’s always been active in the community, but lately she is very concerned at what she’s seen happening across the country.
“I guess I don’t know where the humanity sets in and I see less of it all the time, and that frightens me,” Lee said with a worried look on her face. “‘Cause I have grandkids, I worry about their futures. I worry about what they’re going to inherit.”
Given the social climate, she said she’s ready for change.
“Obviously, some of these people that are men, and I’m not anti-men, they’re not doing a good job. Maybe we need a women’s point of view and I know we do,” Lee said.
Her message for the younger generation?
“Get involved, it makes a difference.”
Additional marches and rallies took place on Molokai, Maui, Kauai, and in Kona and Hilo on Hawaii Island.
