Aretha Franklin and Helen Reddy provided upbeat anthems as more than 300 Villagers and area residents marched in support of women’s rights Saturday at Lake Sumter Landing.
“Respect” and “I Am Woman” are considered oldies even by WVLG Radio standards, but the clear, crisp messages resonated with the women who have spent decades standing up for their rights and their beliefs.
The Villages’ event was one of many held across the nation.
Cindy Grossman of the Village of Caroline, told the crowd that she was proud to have marched in the first woman’s march for equality held in Washington D.C. in 2017. When she asked if anyone else had been to that first march, dozens of hands were raised as the audience cheered.
Grossman introduced Rosemary Niles, vice president of the Citrus County League of Women Voters, who urged the audience to get out and exercise their right to vote. Niles also spoke of the danger that guns pose for women in abusive relationships. She said that more than two women per day are killed by men using guns. She urged those present to work to regulate guns to reduce the danger to women.
Villager Dorothy Dobbs, chair of the Sisters of Synergy, told the audience of the history of the struggle for the right to vote and for equal rights which women have waged in the United States since the dawn of the republic. She warned the crowd that women’s rights are still under assault in the United States and that they need to use their votes to protect their rights.
The Rev. Kristine Spaude stressed the importance of voting this year. She talked about the importance of protecting women’s right to health care which is under attack in several states since the U.S. Supreme Court held that abortion is not protected by the Constitution.
At the conclusion of the speakers, the march began from the square onto Old Camp Road to Lake Shore Drive where the marchers turned right and returned to the square. Car drivers and cart drivers honked their horns in support of the marchers.
One golf cart driver, whose cart was adorned with Trump posters, circled the square once and yelled vulgar words at the marchers who smiled and waved at the man.
