Women, men and children gathered at the corner of University Ave. and 19th St. today to protest against what they believe is a War on Women’s Rights.
Roughly 25 protestors held signs asking for supporters of women’s rights to honk as they drove by the busy intersection across the Texas Tech campus.
“We’re out here to get Bob Duncan, Senator Bob Duncan, and Governor Rick Perry’s attention that not all women want to lay down and give up their rights for reproductive freedom and safe and healthy medical care,” Dawn Kingsbery, a protestor on the scene, said.
Organizer Kristyn Smith said she thought of organizing the rally after Governor Rick Perry called for a second session at the capitol last week following Senator Wendy Davis’ filibuster.
“I just got really angry and decided people in West Texas deserve to speak their voice too,” Smith said. “It’s not just the women in Austin.”
Smith believes it is areas like Lubbock that would be most affected by the legislation currently under discussion in Austin should it go through.
The group, organized solely through the social media outlet Facebook, held posters thanking Senator Wendy Davis for her service.
“These days it’s really easy,” Smith said. “All you really have to do is reach out to your resources like Facebook and things like that. Pretty much that’s all I did is make a Facebook event, get in touch with the right people.”
Smith contacted the Women’s Studies Program at Texas Tech, Lubbock Democrats, and Occupy Lubbock with information about the rally.
“It’s called word of mouth,” Kingsbery said. “You know we’re not that organized but somehow by word of mouth it got out and this morning there were quite a few women out and men protesting, saying, ‘We can’t be in Austin but we want Austin to hear us too.'”
Daughter Robin Daniel joins her mother Barbara Davis at the rally Monday afternoon.
Robin Daniel, who was visiting from Abilene, Texas, ditched lunch plans with her boyfriend to join her mother Barbara Davis at the rally. Daniel thinks that towns like Lubbock need more rallies like this one taking place.
“I honestly feel like this is the more important place to do it,” Daniel said. “If you go to a really liberal town, I mean you’ve got that support already. This is the town that needs changing.”
As far as opposition to the rally, Smith said there were some threats on Facebook but no one had showed up to the event. There was however one mooning incident from a passenger driving by, which the group took in stride.
“We just have the support of people honking and then people that don’t even want to consider the issue,” Daniel said.
“I think when people are driving by they might not be looking at us but when they’re in the car with other people we see those conversations start,” Daniel said. “Even if they don’t agree with us they’re thinking about it, that’s the most important thing.”
The rally continued through mid afternoon.
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