PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Activists stopped traffic in Center City Wednesday evening. Marching from Independence Mall to City Hall on International Women’s Day, rally-goers shouted in support of women’s issues.
“We are standing in solidarity with women all over the world,” said Koyuki Chen, a local organizer with Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights. “The overturning of Roe v. Wade is all about controlling women and what they can and cannot do with their body.”
On a day that’s meant to shine a spotlight on women’s rights, Chen said activists are demanding more from society. One of the main issues the crowd focused on was abortion rights.
Advocates with the groups Philly Iran and Afghans of Philadelphia also took part, bringing attention to the lack of education access for girls in Afghanistan and the mass protests in Iran centered around women’s rights.
Maryam, a Philly Iran member who asked that her last name not be used, led the marchers down Market Street.
“This women's rights, humans rights is just not about in Iran,” she said. “It’s about all over the world. … This is the time that the women had enough. They need to be equal as a man. We need to stand up for our rights.”
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