Men and women across the state are uniting for a protest rally on April 28 at the state capitol in Lansing.

The rally, which was organized by an organization called ‘Unite Women,’ aims to raise awareness for women’s rights and particularly reproductive rights and include both genders in the process.

The mission is born

The organization was born in the middle of February, after two women, Karen Teegarden from Michigan and Desiree Jordan from New York, discussed women’s issues and wondered why women weren’t “taking to the streets.”

According to Unite Women’s first press release, some of the largest issues facing women are “state voter registration laws that suppress voter turnout especially among poor women, seniors and minorities” and Texas Governor, Rick Perry’s Texas Women’s Health Program, which ends funding to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.

Virginia Shidler is a senior history major who is concerned with the decisions current legilatures are making in regard to birth control aond insurance.

“I think it’s ridiculous that they’re trying to pull a legitimate health tool away from women who actually need it,” she said. “Birth control is also used to prevent hormonal imbalances and in some case actually aid in prevention of certain cancers.”

Expanding the organization

After quickly gaining popularity through social media, the movement organized this rally. The protest rally will take place on a national scale, meaning marches will be going on in every state capitol except for Springfield, Ill. Illinois’s march will be in Chicago.

Caleb Files is a regional campus organizer for Unite Women and is a self-identified raging feminist. He believes equality is for everybody and reached out to the organization after becoming involved with an all male panel discussion on birth control.  He currently attends the University of Missouri Kansas City and works full-time for Unite Women.

Files explained the rally’s mission is to prove to legislatures that there are women who are interested in these issues.

“The end goal is that awareness is brought to the issues and to show that there are plenty of women in the US who do care about themselves, their bodies, and how they take care of them,” he said.

He will be participating in Chicago’s April 28 rally.

“I believe those who attend the rallies will see a sense of solidarity a coming together of like minded individuals and they will make those connections to continue this fight, we aren’t going away,” Files said. “This is only the beginning. These marches, all across the nation, are just the beginning to this continuing this conversation.”

Many national organizations are endorsing this event including, Planned Parenthood, the National Organization of Women, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and the Feminist Peace Network.

For more information visit http://unitewomen.org/unite/