'Womxn's' March, formerly the Women's March, scheduled for Jan. 25 in Colorado Springs

Women from across Colorado Springs and surrounding communities are expected to take the streets of downtown later this month, marching for equality.

The Colorado Springs "Womxn's March," formerly the Women's March, is scheduled to take place Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. starting and ending at the City Auditorium at 221 E. Kiowa Street. The first-ever Women's March in Colorado Springs brought together about 7,000 people in 2017.

The "x" now replaces the "e" in "Womxn's" March to include non-binary people, trans women and the LGBTQ community, according to one of the organizers for the Colorado Springs march.

The keynote speakers for the Jan. 25 event include U.S. Senate candidates: Stephany Rose Spaulding, Ph.D., who is chair of the Women’s and Ethnic Studies program at UCCS and the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Lorena Garcia who is an organizer, women’s rights activist, and non-profit leader.

The breakout sessions will feature:

• Claudia De La Cruz, 1st Vice President, NAACP Colorado Springs Branch;

• Alex Diaz, administrative operations manager at The Place, a former affiliate of Urban Peak;

• Ash Stephens, head of the Equality Task Force and leader of the local NAACP’s actions in support of LGBTQI rights;

• Nico Wilkinson, Colorado Springs community coordinator for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains;

• Stephanie Bowman, Climate Justice Organizer of Mothers Out Front, a national organization demanding bold action to accelerate the nation’s transition away from fossil fuels;

• Emma Tang, a Colorado Springs climate youth activist; and

• Bethany Winder, child health nurse, and Kristine Hembre, D.O of El Paso County for Universal Healthcare.

“The 2020 march is our fourth annual event, and we will continue to march until there equity and justice for all in our communities,” said Catherine Grandorff, the leader of the team organizing the 2020 march.