By Kathryn Reed

“We walk in peaceful resistance to the negative rhetoric of the past election cycle.”

That is the message a group of South Shore women want to convey as they march Jan. 21 in solidarity with the thousands, if not millions, of other women throughout the United States on that day.

A woman in Hawaii initiated the Washington march after the Nov. 8 election. From there, people in communities in nearly every state have been organizing marches to take place on that Saturday. The impetus is to give a voice to women’s issues that many believe have been trampled upon by President elect-Donald Trump.

The marches will occur the day after he becomes president and takes up residence in the White House.

Locally, it was Del Laine, Brooke Laine and Vicki Gonzales who spearheaded the event. Now about 20 people are behind the Tahoe brigade. Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe is the financial backer.

“This is not a demonstration just for women. It is for unity; it is for tolerance. It’s also recognizing we are paying attention and we are going to stay educated locally and act nationally when necessary,” Brooke Laine told Lake Tahoe News.

The local march could be the only bi-state event in the United States. Organizers plan to convene in the parking lot at Hard Rock in Stateline, walk along Highway 50 to Lakeview Commons and gather there as a group.

Two women of different generations are expected give short speeches. The proclamation the group came up with will likely be read as well.

The procession will start at 11am no matter the weather. Sponsors are expecting between 200 and 500 people – and not just women. Other organizations have expressed a desire to be part of this march, which to date is the only one planned in the basin.

Laine and others hope that out of this gathering people will unite to form a sustaining group that will have its own identity rooted in the bigger cause, with action taken locally.

A Facebook page has been created to provide more information about the Tahoe march.