Marching with thousands of women in the days following U.S. president Donald Trump’s inauguration, Julie Cormier found inspiration for the upcoming Bridges for Women event.
It was among the sea of Victorians who marched through downtown Victoria to Centennial Square, in solidarity with women and men in a number of other cities to protest the president’s views on women’s rights, where Cormier first noticed a sign reading “Bridges, Not Walls.”
The sign is the inspiration for and the name of Bridges for Women’s upcoming fundraiser next weekend. The symposium includes a panel discussion on the questions of today and strategies for women moving forward, with the keynote address by Kim Campbell, the country’s only female prime minister.
“We think with Donald Trump having come into a position of such high leadership, we really needed to match that and really inspire hope amongst women locally,” said Cormier, Bridges’ fund development and communications manager. “Hope that we are here to work together, hope that we are here to work for all of us to have rights in all our differences as women and hope that we can rally men to become allies because no doubt there will be ripple affect from U.S. politics into Canada. We need to be ready for that.”
The symposium is being held on the UN’s Orange Day to Unite to End Violence against Women and in celebration of the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in B.C.
Bridges, Not Walls takes place on Saturday, March 25 at the Victoria Conference Centre from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Funds raised go towards Bridges programs, such as the professional trauma counselling services for women and the W’SANEC First Nations programs offered on reserve.
For tickets call 250-385-7410.
