GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On International Women's Day, mothers and daughters from across West Michigan poured into Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, celebrating past civil rights victories while protesting current federal and state policies.
While the day, which falls annually on March 8, has been observed for decades, Saturday's march took on a tone more reminiscent of recent times — Donald Trump's first term as president.
The day after his inauguration in 2017, an estimated 500,000 people in Washington, D.C and around four million people nationwide marched in protest of the new administration.
Less than two months into Trump's second term, a similar sentiment was shared by the sign-bearing, 'This is what democracy looks like'-chanting people who took part in the Unite and Resist Grand Rapids Women's March.
"Human rights are women's rights," said Kim Combs, a protester wearing a pink high visibility vest and a rainbow-colored hat.
On Saturday, Combs looked to her lineage to find a reason to stand outside in the cold.
While on the way to the hospital to give birth to a baby, Combs' great-grandmother had her husband stop at a polling place. It was Election Day, and women had only recently won the right to vote.
"My grandmother, who was almost born in that car at the polling place, had more rights than I do today," said Combs, referencing the reversal of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States.
"The things we do [today] so we can continue to rise above and move forward, none of that compares to women's suffrage and what women have gone through," she said.
A distaste for the recent firings and reductions in funding at a number of departments in the US federal government found its way onto several signs at the march, including Lynn Ike's 'Science Saves Lives' banner.
"How are we ever going to solve cancer if we don't have science? You can't simply shut it down and save money," said Ike, referring to now-rescinded firings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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To this day, the 2017 Women's March is widely considered to be the largest single-day demonstration in US history, though similar, subsequent protests have recorded estimated turnouts in the millions.
State representative Kristian Grant said she did not want Saturday to be a one-and-done rally.
"We have a long, four-plus years ahead of us," said Rep. Kristian Grant, who serves the Grand Rapids area. "I want to protect [Grand Rapids]. I want to fight for and with them."
In a proclamation released earlier this week, President Donald Trump celebrated Women's History Month, saying in part, "Every day, without fame or fanfare, women inspire, support, and strengthen their families, communities, and our country."
"Women’s History Month presents a great opportunity to celebrate the tremendous impact women continue to have on our Nation."
The president also pointed to two of his recently signed executive orders as reflective of his commitment to women's rights, one of which declared there to be only two biological sexes and another that intended to ban transgender athletes from women's and girls' sports.
