'Angry women will change the world' - Charleston hosts International Women's Day rally

By Matthew Young, RealWV

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Women’s Alliance (WVWA), on Saturday, celebrated International Women’s Day with a rally on the steps of the West Virginia State Capitol. The family-friendly event featured balloon sculptures and face painting for the youngsters in attendance, and discussions surrounding health and child care, SNAP benefits, empowerment, and equality for the more engaged older crowd.

“Here’s the serious part, our 250-year American experiment in self-government is threatened by the global rise in authoritarianism,” Pam Van Horn, president of the WV Federation of Democratic Women, said, while addressing those in attendance. “Citizens must be involved to strengthen our democracy, and that’s especially true at the local level.”

Van Horn, who previously served in an interim-leadership role with the West Virginia State Democratic Party, also advocated for unaffiliated voters to select a particular political party, noting that, “Political parties are an integral part of democracy.”

Speaking specifically to unaffiliated voters, Van Horn further noted that, “Our party (Democratic party) has probably ticked you off pretty bad in the past with some of the things that we’ve done. But I’m asking you to consider coming back to the Democratic party.”

“We’re stronger when we’re together,” Van Horn added.

In addition to the WVWA and the WV Federation of Democratic Women, the event’s partners included WV FREE, the Wood County Women’s Rights Alliance, Kanawha Valley NOW, Bridge Valley Technical College, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Fairness WV, the WV Library Association, WV NOW, Rainbow Pride of WV, ACLU of West Virginia, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists-WV Section, Women’s March WV, the Women’s Health Center, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the WV Association for Young Children.