Budapest, Jan. 17, 2017 – The Women’s March on Washington has inspired nearly 386 other ‘sister marches’ to take place on Jan. 21. All 50 states and Puerto Rico are confirmed to have at least one grassroots-led march on that day, as well as 55 global cities on six continents, from Tokyo to Sydney, Nairobi to Paris to Bogotá.

“This is an unprecedented, organic and viral grassroots global movement that is growing every day, said Boston-based national sister march spokeswoman Yordanos Eyoel, who became a U.S. citizen last fall. “The aggregate turnout has the potential to exceed 1 million marchers. What makes this movement even more special is that people who have never been politically active before are now mobilizing.”

Here in Budapest within one day of posting the Facebook event, more than 100 people have RSVPed, according to one of the organizers Janet Kelley, an American living in Budapest, whose husband, Albert-László Barabási, is Hungarian and their children attend a local Hungarian grade school.

While each person may have their own reasons for marching, the mission is to bring people together to take a stand on issues that deeply impact all of us. The marches will seek to reaffirm the core American values of freedom and democracy for all at a time when many fear that their voices will be lost, specifically related to women’s rights, immigrant rights, worker rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA rights, environmental rights, rights for all races, and religious freedom.

Spearheaded by first time-organizers and seasoned activists, the marches are bringing together people of all backgrounds, races, religions, gender identities, ages and abilities, as well as communities of immigrants. While led by women, all are welcome to attend the marches.

Each march will have its own program, from music and speeches to a rally at a suffragist’s grave in upstate New York, to a verbal “human mosaic” of people in Napa Valley sharing their vision for the future. In Maui, the march will begin with a moment of silence followed by a Hawaiian blessing. In Birmingham, Ala., marchers will gather at the 16th Baptist Church, an iconic civil rights site. In Berlin, the march, to be held Jan. 20, will end at the Brandenburg Gate.

“We need to stand united in the fight for justice and recognition of our shared humanity,” said Little Rock, Ark.’s sister march organizer and Be the Change Alliance founder Gwendolynn Combs, who has never been politically active before now. “The Women’s March for Arkansas strives to build that momentum by uniting, educating, and empowering new activists, exposing them to new ideas, and providing direction while connecting them to advocacy organizations.”

“We’re excited that women across the nation and the world are organizing to stand together in solidarity. Our unity will send a strong and clear message that women and our allies will protect our rights, our health, our safety and our communities,” said Bob Bland, a co-chair of Women’s March on Washington. “These sister marches show a powerful and inclusive movement, which is just as crucial as the thousands who will travel to D.C.”

The March on Budapest will begin at 11:15 am in front of the American Embassy and proceed to cross the Chain Bridge. At the center of the bridge marchers will pause to drop a banner saying“Bridges Not Walls.”The goal of this march is to build bridges that connect and sustain us in troubled times. Please read more about the mission, vision, and unity principles at http://www.womensmarch.com

FACEBOOK EVENT – The march on Budapest.

Image by Shepard Fairey