Tulane group joins worldwide march for women's equality

Almost 60 students, including two men, rode for 20 hours from New Orleans to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Jan. 21, to take part in the unprecedented international march for women’s rights. From first-year undergraduates to doctoral candidates, they carried signs and a commitment to add their voices to the movement.

Nationwide, the Women’s March may have been the largest demonstration in history, with at least 3.3 million people attending marches in more than 500 cities. Sarah Jones, a first-year student from Shreveport, Louisiana, said the experience changed her perspective.

“I went in as a college girl trying to find her place in a movement of blood, sweat and tears,” said Jones. “I left being a nasty woman ready to take on anyone trying to interfere with my inalienable rights.”

“I went in as a college girl trying to find her place in a movement of blood, sweat and tears.”

Sarah Jones, first-year Tulane student

First envisioned by Tulane University graduate students Miranda Stramel and Mira Kohl, the trip was the result of a joint effort of cross-campus partners, including Newcomb College Institute, the Stone Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for Public Service, Gender and Sexuality Studies, the Taylor Center, the Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT) and the Office of Academic Equity, as well as many student organizations. Anna Mahoney, administrative assistant professor of women’s legislative leadership and adviser to the Women in Politics group says the students gained more than a lasting memory by joining the march.

“Apart from participating in possibly the largest demonstration in American history, the skills the students learned to organize themselves to make the trip happen are precisely the skills they will utilize moving forward to influence policymakers and make their voices heard,” said Mahoney.

Students are working with the Newcomb Archives to document memories of the march, providing oral histories of the experience. Staff will also preserve signs and other materials created for the event.  To see more images from the march, visit the Newcomb College Institute’s Instagram page.