It takes a lot to rile up Niles’ Doris Higgins, a down-to-earth person and longtime volunteer, but November’s election cycle left her with a need to speak out.
“I personally feel like I want to do something,” Higgins said. “I am very concerned about the rhetoric and the tones of politics in our country.”
Friday, Jan. 20, President-elect Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated as the country’s 45th Commander-in-Chief. As the ceremonies and festivities proceed that weekend, Higgins will be at the country’s capital marching in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington — a national organization that has now garnered more than 150,000 participants.
Higgins said she originally planned to carpool with a few residents who wanted to join, but many residents responded and shared a similar desire to have their voices heard.
“A lot of people are very concerned about [the] overt racism and sexism and xenophobia,” she said. “People are just very concerned about the tone, how that is going to translate into actions by [the] presidential administration,” Higgins said.
If at least 30 people register, marchers will take a Cardinal bus to Washington, D.C., Higgins said. The registration deadline is Friday, Jan. 6, and the cost is $200, which covers bus travel. There are three scholarships available to cover the cost. If not enough people sign up, those who register will be reimbursed.
In spite of the title of the march, Higgins said men are encouraged to join.
If enough people sign up, the bus will leave Celebration Cinema in
Benton Harbor at 6 p.m. Jan. 20, and arrive at the
capital the next morning. The march will proceed near the Capitol, starting at Independence Avenue and Third Street SW and continue west along Independence.
Marchers will then board the bus home at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21. The bus is expected to return to Benton Harbor Sunday, Jan. 22.
Those interested in joining should be prepared to stand for long periods of time and endure winter elements in the Washington area.
Whether or not 30 people sign up, Higgins said she still plans to attend the march.
“This is a unique opportunity,” she said. “It is not like something like this happens all the time.”
Besides the rhetoric, Higgins said she has also wanted to advocate for health care access.
Trump has proposed several reforms, all aimed at lowering health care cost, including repealing Obamacare and handing over Medicaid to state jurisdiction.
On a personal level, Higgins said she had to ask herself, “How do I give my voice to these national issues so that I am not just sitting there complaining?”
This will be the first march that Higgins has participated in, and she said she was excited.
“It is a very powerful thing,” she said. “It brings people together.”
To register visit: secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/trip_to_washington.