In the spirit of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Justice, on January 21, 2017, women and men from all over America will unite in our nation's capital for the Women's March on Washington beginning at 10:00 a.m. National Co-chairs Bob Bland and Tamika D. Mallory and key march organizer Janaye Ingram are calling on us to stand together with them in solidarity for the rights of women and their families to be safe, healthy and protected.

The March will include issues critical to African American women and their communities such as pay equity, affordable health care, minimum wage, and criminal justice and voting rights reform. This is a non-partisan effort to make our voices and concerns heard. It is not an anti-Trump rally. Rather, it is a March to signal to decision makers and leaders that women of all backgrounds are uniting to advance women's rights as human rights.

As women in ministry and leaders in our community, we are called to defend human rights and advocate for justice and equality for all. Therefore, Co-chair Tamika D. Mallory, Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner and Dr. Cynthia Hale invite you to join a call on Thursday, January 5, 8:00 p.m. to gain more information about how we can all be involved in this significant venture.

Recognizing that the rhetoric of the past election cycle left us divided, a strong message needs to be sent to the world that women's rights are human rights. This march is the first step toward unifying our communities and creating new relationships from the grassroots up.