Women’s March MN held an event called Hear Our Voice on January 21st, commemorating the one year anniversary of the Women’s March that drew over 100,000 marchers in Minnesota. The primary objective of this years event was to encourage people to take action. Set at the Union Depot in St. Paul, there were men protesting Roe v Wade, as well as volunteers creating impeachment petitions outside the building. Event organizers handed out a checklist that listed talks, protests, and websites that Minnesotans should become a part of if they want to see positive change.

At least 5o non-profits like MNxMN and March for Science showed up to the event to help attendees learn how they can be part of the change. Female candidates that are running for public office this November, on the local and state level, joined together and talked with voters. Hear Our Voice brought a range of speakers from Andrea Jenkins, the first black transgender woman to ever hold public office, to Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-Muslim state representative. All speakers spoke about the need for intersectionality, and that Facebook ranting and posting does not help the movement; rather, the community needs to take action to improve women’s rights. Local performer Maria Issa and an indigenous women’s dance group used their voices and their bodies to communicate a need for women of color to be included in the conversation.

Each non-profit at the event was required to provide pamphlets with some type of event or activity that people could attend. On Sunday, January 28th, MNxMN is hosting a social justice conference called Beyond Resistance at Harding High School, and a march is being hosted during the Super Bowl to protest racial injustice in the Twin Cities.  Other activism opportunities are posted on the Women’s March MN website as well as on the organization’s Facebook page.