Organizers of an annual Women’s March in Eureka, Humboldt County, California said they won’t be holding the event on Jan. 19 after concerns were raised by organizers that its “participants” were “overwhelmingly white.”
“This decision was made after many conversations between local social-change organizers and supporters of the march,” organizers said Friday in a statement posted on Facebook. “Up to this point, participants have been overwhelmingly white, lacking representation from several perspectives in our community. Instead of pushing forward with crucial voices absent, the organizing team will take time for more outreach. Our goal is that planning will continue and we will be successful in creating an event that will build power and community engagement through connection between women that seek to improve the lives of all in our community.”
“The local organizers are continuing to meet and discuss how to broaden representation in the organizing committee to create an event that represents and supports peoples who live here in Humboldt,” organizers said.
According to data reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, Humboldt County, which is located on the coastline in Northern California, is about 74 percent non-Hispanic white.
The cancellation brought about mixed responses online, and received widespread national coverage over the weekend.
“Our crowd wasn’t brown enough? Wasn’t queer enough? Wasn’t transgender enough?” one person commented.
“I respect the organizers for their decision and I’m proud of their choice to make certain that the Eureka March is that of inclusivity,” another person said.