Austin Poised For 'Women's March' 2018

AUSTIN, TX — For the second straight year, you're going to hear them roar. Organizers have scheduled a Women's March on Saturday as a show of solidarity — one of 250 such gatherings planned nationwide this weekend.

The local version on Saturday, Jan. 20, will begin at the Austin City Hall, 301 W. 2nd Street, at 10 a.m. and end up at the Capitol building by noon where the expected throngs will gather until 3 p.m. The inaugural march last year drew some 40,000 people to the Texas Capitol grounds, a huge mass gathering that grew organically in reaction to the election of Donald Trump whose worldview and political agenda is viewed by many as antagonistic to women's issues.

This year, the motivation is much the same just days after Trump's first year in office: "Together, we will show this administration that women are not backing down," organizers wrote on a Facebook event page.

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Last year's local event was something of a "sister march" to the main gathering in Washington, D.C. This year's mother ship march will be in Las Vegas. where participants — thousands of "women, femmes and allies," organizers wrote — will gather on Sunday to celebrate the first anniversary of the Women's March, according to organizers.

"From the Women’s March to the Women’s Convention, we’ve seen how powerful we are when we gather together, share space and lift each other up," march organizers wrote. "While the official Women's March anniversary event will take place in Nevada, Women’s March Chapters are organizing exciting state-specific anniversary events throughout the anniversary weekend, from marches to legislative actions to community events to voter registration drives."

While marchers will surely have their souls nourished via the solidarity and camaraderie of the event, area eateries will again show their own support of the movement while nourishing the body. To that end, restaurants across the city plan will support the march by donating a percentage of the day's sales to the Girls Empowerment Network, which helps girls navigate the singular pressures inherent to girlhood and equip them with the skills and confidence to thrive.

Take New Waterloo, for instance. For the second year, the restaurant chain will stand in solidarity with eateries donating from 5 percent to 10 percent of all brunch sales at its restaurants. Participating restaurants offering 10 percent off brunch sales until 3 p.m. on Jan. 20 are:

• Goodall's Kitchen, 1900 Rio Grande St, Austin, TX 78705.
• La Condesa, 400 W 2nd St A, Austin, TX 78701.
• Le Politique, 110 San Antonio St, Austin, TX 78701.
• Café No Sé, 1603 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
• Central Standard, 1603 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704.
• Sway, 1417 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

Participating restaurants donating 5 percent of all sales until 3 p.m. on Jan. 20 are:

• La Matta, 501 Comal St, Austin, TX 78702.
• Le Politique's Pattisserie, 110 San Antonio St, Austin, TX 78701.
• Mañana, 1603 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704.

>>> Photos from 2017 Women's March by Tony Cantú, logo via Women's March