LIHUE — For Paul Spear, Saturday’s sign waving demonstration near the Lihue Airport is about bringing people together. “It’s for women, women of color, minorities, the LGBT community, the poor and those who have limited excess to health care or
LIHUE — For Paul Spear, Saturday’s sign waving demonstration near the Lihue Airport is about bringing people together.
“It’s for women, women of color, minorities, the LGBT community, the poor and those who have limited excess to health care or a safe environment. It’s become a much broader action movement,” he said. “It’s going to be a positive movement about things we care about.”
It’s a sentiment Janice Bond, another organizer, echoes.
“They’ve been doing it all over the country — all these people are coming together.”
Almost 200 people are expected to wave signs near the Lihue Airport Saturday to show solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington cause.
The Women’s March on Washington was organized to send a message to the new presidential administration on its first day of office that the voice of women and minorities across the country cannot be ignored. They are also marching to show that women’s rights are human rights.
President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office Friday.
Since word got out of the national march, 46 states, including Hawaii, organized sister marches to take place in towns of their state.
In Hawaii, all four main islands will be hosting a march on Saturday. While it’s called “Women’s March,” it’s open to everyone, Spear said.
Residents are invited to gather at the intersection of Kapule Highway and Ahukini Road from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The demonstration isn’t going to be anti-Trump. Rather, it is meant to bring awareness to social issues, Spear said.
It’s going to be a peaceful demonstration, Bond added.
“There’s only going to be positive signs; nothing negative,” she said.
Tourists have also signed up to join the demonstration, Spear said.
“We’ve had people contact us who were looking at at the marches and saw we were hosting a sister event,” he said. “They were sad they were going to miss their event at home, so they decided to join us.”
There is also going to be an international contingent, with people from Canada and Australia joining the cause.
Because of the number of people expected to show up, Bond and a few others will be shuttling people from the soccer fields at Vidinha Stadium to the intersection.
Carpooling is also encouraged.
To sign up, email Bond at janbond007@me.com.
Sign waving near the Lihue Airport isn’t the only way Kauai residents can raise their voices and concerns.
Lihue resident Anne Punohu is organizing a march “Up da Hill” from the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall to the Historic County Building.
“Sign waving is not enough. People are looking for a way to vent emotion, and marching is the best way to do it,” she said.
Those interested are invited to meet at the county building at 8 a.m. The march will return to the county building at around 10:30 a.m., followed by music and a potluck.
The march is separate from the Women’s March on Washington.
It is a peaceful march, and negative signs are not allowed, Punohu said.
“I want to follow Martin Luther King Jr.’s example,” she said.
