by Niveen Ghoneim CTNewsJunkie
WEST HARTFORD, CT – Dozens of people gathered Saturday outside West Hartford Town Hall to mark International Women’s Day and participate in the Unite and Resist Rally, organized by Women for Democracy, West Hartford Pride, and Beyond Circles.
The groups called the rally amid President Donald Trump’s enactment of a slew of policies that they say are likely to harm women, such as banning trans athletes from competing in women’s sports and repealing federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) regulations. It was also scheduled amid rising fears of a potential abortion ban, with few to no safeguards to prevent a ban given the Republican majority in both chambers of Congress and the conservative majority on the US Supreme Court.
The rally was one of 400 similar demonstrations held across the country as part of mobilization efforts by the Women’s March, which was launched days into President Trump’s first term to protest his comments in the leaked Access Hollywood tape in which he bragged about sexually assaulting women.
“As a teacher, diversity enriches my classroom. As a mom, equity has given my daughter with disabilities a chance to soar. As a Special Olympics coach, inclusion offers my athletes amazing opportunities,” West Hartford school board member Clare Taylor Neseralla told the crowd. “Diversity is our strength. Equity lets everyone succeed. Inclusion will never be wrong. It’s like they’re trying to promote conformity, unfairness, and exclusion.”
Clare Neseralla, a teacher and West Hartford school board member, addresses the rally outside West Hartford Town Hall on Saturday, March 8, 2025, for International Women’s Day and the Unite and Resist Rally, organized by Women for Democracy, West Hartford Pride, and Beyond Circles. Credit: Niveen Ghoneim / CTNewsJunkie
Warning rally-goers of the “drastic and frightening turn” the country has taken, Neseralla urged the crowd to remain vigilant and vocal.
“Use your voice. Speak up, testify, stand firm against injustice. Call and write your legislators and the White House weekly or even daily. Support your sisters. Look out for your neighbor. Help those out of work and be an example to our children,” she said.
Political engagement was the main call to action Saturday, with Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, West Hartford Town Council member Tiffani McGinnis, state Reps. Kate Farrar, D-West Hartford, and Eleni Kavros DeGraw, D-Avon, all urging protesters to avoid falling into complacency.
“We are in the long session this year, and it may be exceptionally long because of what is happening in Washington, DC,” DeGraw cautioned, pointing to efforts by Connecticut’s Republican lawmakers to ban transgender girls from high school sports.
“We passed the state plan of conservation this week, but we had an enormous number of Republicans who refused to vote for it because they felt it was covered in DEI,” DeGraw said. “We were told that it was editorial and gratuitous when it spoke of things like the fact that we stand on indigenous land. They are fighting as if they are the majority, and we need your support in order to continue to do the good work in the legislature that we want to do for the people.”
Similarly, Farrar warned of the permeation of the Trump administration’s attitudes among Connecticut Republicans.
“Trump is trying to literally erase women from government websites and government documents,” Farrar said. “Right now in Connecticut, we know that so many women are depending on us to protect and fight for our freedoms … Here in Connecticut, we still face inequality. We still face inequities. It’s why we’re leading to pass policies like the child tax credit, like affordable childcare, and still trying to strengthen our equal pay laws. Because we will not go back!”
Also among the speakers was community leader and activist Samariya Smith who took the opportunity to revisit Black women’s contributions to American democracy and feminism, tipping her hat to trail-blazing Black leaders like Sojourner Truth, Shirley Chisholm, and Constance Baker Motley, among others.
“This is more than just a history lesson. It is a call to action. It is a reminder that women have always been at the heart of progress, and our collective responsibility is to ensure that their contributions – our contributions – are not only remembered but built upon,” Smith declared. “Women, especially women of color, continue to face disparities in pay, leadership opportunities and healthcare access. It is up to all of us, men and women alike, to challenge these injustices.”
Closing the rally, transgender activist and journalist Karleigh Chardonnay Webb delivered a critique of Trump’s agenda.
“They said ‘on this International Women’s Day, the theme is Accelerate Action.’ But my question is, why are we going back in the United States?” Chardonnay Webb said. “They’re purging DEI, they’re purging women out of all sorts of positions … [hey] President Trump: I’m still black, still trans, still American, still here.”
Kay Munoz, of the CT Hispanic Democratic Caucus, speaks during a rally outside West Hartford Town Hall on Saturday, March 8, 2025, for International Women’s Day and the Unite and Resist Rally, organized by Women for Democracy, West Hartford Pride, and Beyond Circles. Credit: Niveen Ghoneim / CTNewsJunkie
State Sen. Derek Slap, D-West Hartford, addresses the rally outside West Hartford Town Hall on Saturday, March 8, 2025, for International Women’s Day and the Unite and Resist Rally, organized by Women for Democracy, West Hartford Pride, and Beyond Circles. Credit: Niveen Ghoneim / CTNewsJunkie
Members of the crowd hold signs during a rally outside West Hartford Town Hall on Saturday, March 8, 2025, for International Women’s Day and the Unite and Resist Rally, organized by Women for Democracy, West Hartford Pride, and Beyond Circles. Credit: Niveen Ghoneim / CTNewsJunkie
Members of the crowd hold signs during a rally outside West Hartford Town Hall on Saturday, March 8, 2025, for International Women’s Day and the Unite and Resist Rally, organized by Women for Democracy, West Hartford Pride, and Beyond Circles. Credit: Niveen Ghoneim / CTNewsJunkie
Members of the crowd hold signs during a rally outside West Hartford Town Hall on Saturday, March 8, 2025, for International Women’s Day and the Unite and Resist Rally, organized by Women for Democracy, West Hartford Pride, and Beyond Circles. Credit: Niveen Ghoneim / CTNewsJunkie