photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Many gathered for a women's rights rally in South Park on Saturday, November 2, 2024.

There was no lightning in the sky during Lawrence’s rainy women’s rights rally on Saturday, but you might have heard a thunderous chant at the end: “We’re not going back!”

It came from the dozens of people leaving South Park carrying their umbrellas, lawn chairs and signs — a slogan that has defined Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and a slogan that Johnson County LGBTQ+ activist Jae Moyer said all Kansans should take to heart.

“I want all of those people to know that if you don’t stand for unity, peace and common sense, then we are going forward and we will not bring you with us because we are not going back,” Moyer said, addressing the crowd from the gazebo.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Many people brought umbrellas and ponchos were provided at the women’s rights rally on Saturday, November 2, 2024.

Held in anticipation of the Nov. 5 general election, Saturday’s rally featured quite a few notable women in Lawrence’s political scene: state Rep. Barbara Ballard; state Sen. Marci Francisco, the incumbent running to represent District 2; Melinda Lavon, chair of the Douglas County Democratic Party; Dena Sattler, candidate for Kansas Senate District 3; Brooklynne Mosley, presumed representative-elect for Kansas House District 46; Ursula Minor, president of the Lawrence chapter of the NAACP; Dr. Ashley Bloom; and Amii Castle, an attorney and professor at KU.

Many of them urged the audience to support Democratic candidates and highlighted the challenges that individuals across America face in accessing abortion care and making their own reproductive health care choices.

“Others here like me remember life before Roe v. Wade,” Francisco said. “Women lost their lives because safe reproductive health care was unavailable.”

Francisco added that while Kansans voted to keep abortion legal in the state after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, there is still a lot of work to be done to address economic and health care barriers.

“The health rankings report shows Kansas ranking 32nd in the nation for how well our health care system is working for women,” Francisco said. “Statistics for maternal health show that women of color face far more challenges in delivery.”

Minor said that Black women’s maternal rights include the right to safe and healthy pregnancies and births and the right to make decisions about their bodies.

“However, Black women face higher rates of maternal mortality than other women in the United States,” Minor said. “… A recent study projected that abortion bans would increase the number of U.S. pregnancy-related deaths by 39% for African American women.”

Castle, meanwhile, warned about Project 2025 — a multi-faceted plan devised by the Heritage Foundation for the next Republican president to overhaul the executive branch — and what it could mean for women’s reproductive rights.

“It’s a 900-page blueprint for Donald Trump to enact scary policies, particularly for women,” Castle said.

Castle said that bringing the decision of abortion back to the states was something that Trump was proud of, but the abortion policies in states like Texas and Oklahoma have few or no exceptions for rape or incest.

“We’re hearing these horror stories emerging of the consequences of these Trump abortion bans,” Castle said. “Women being denied health care because doctors are afraid they’ll go to jail if they treat pregnant women. Women are dying as they are waiting to receive health care.”

Signs saying, “We are not going back!” were handed out at a women’s rights rally on Saturday, November 2, 2024.

But Saturday’s rally wasn’t just about the high stakes — it was also about optimism and looking ahead to a brighter political future.

Mosley said that when she thinks about progress, she doesn’t see it as a destination, but a journey. And it isn’t going to stop anytime soon.

“There was a time where the destination was just wearing pants, and look at us now,” Mosley said. “There was a time where the destination was just having your name on the ballot, and now we’re occupying offices and having our perspective at the table.”

“Our destination is the White House, and we’re gonna be able to do that on Tuesday,” Mosley said.

Ballard said that women have voted the most in federal elections, and they’re not going to stop now. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, she said that’s because the people didn’t have a vote — only the Supreme Court did.

“We were hoping it was going to stay the same, but we didn’t have a vote,” Ballard said. “They took it away and sent it back to the state. Then, they gave Kansas the opportunity to challenge it and oh no, it’s going down.”

Dr. Ashley Bloom of LMH Health speaks at a rally on Saturday, November 2, 2024.

Bloom said that no politician has any place telling a woman or a family when, where or how they should raise their family or grow a family.

“We have people in our community who fear that if (Project) 2025 comes to fruition, that they will no longer be able to be the parents to their children, and so it is our job to protect them and to stay together.”

Everyone at the rally was gathered to fight for women’s reproductive freedoms and affordable health care for everyone, Sattler said, and she urged them all to make their voices heard long after the crowd at South Park had dispersed.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” Sattler said. “We will vote. We will vote for Kamala, but all the way down the ticket.

“This is important.”