According to ABC 7 WJLA, “California organizers cancel Women’s March due to ‘overwhelmingly white’ participants”
The march was to take place in Eureka on January 19, but because they say participants do not represent the “diversity” of the area, it will not go ahead.
“This decision was made after many conversations between local social-change organizers and supporters of the march,” organisers said in a press release.
The plan is now to continue to meet in order to discuss how to broaden representation in Humboldt County and have fewer whites participate.
“Up to this point, the participants have been overwhelmingly white, lacking representation from several perspectives in our community,” the press release continued.
“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 group said instead of a march, it might hold an event in March to celebrate International Women’s Day. They called on people to attend meetings to organise such an event, but did not include racial guidelines for organisers, suggesting that white women are accepted as organisers but not marchers.
The Eureka Women’s March organising committee also called on local supporters to attend the Martin Luther King Jr Celebration in Eureka on Martin Luther King Day.
In 2014, a demographic milestone was reached in the state, when the projections of California’s Department of Finance demographers that the Latino population would match the non-Hispanic white population in size, became a reality.
With more than 14 million Hispanic residents, California has the largest Hispanic population in the US.
California organizers cancel Women's March due to 'overwhelmingly white' participants https://t.co/DYtvPogeo0 pic.twitter.com/xCFYUG4Slk
— ABC 7 News – WJLA (@ABC7News) December 29, 2018