There was plenty of civic engagement in downtown Bozeman on Saturday morning.
The March for Life rally started in front of the Gallatin County Courthouse and pro-life advocates marched down Main Street.
“Every year we gather. It’s an annual march, and we’re protesting the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision,” said Cecilia Druffner, an organizer of the March for Life and president of Montana State University’s Students for Life.
Hundreds attended the event sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Montana State University Students for Life.
“We had a lot of enthusiastic people. People from all over Bozeman coming to stand up for the unborn and for both the mother and the child,” said Druffner.
And an hour later, just down the road, was the Women’s March, where inclusivity and social justice was the theme of the march.
“There were so many people who were out and about this whole idea of civic participation."
It was energizing to see people out with their pink hats and signs,” said Lei-Anna Bertelsen, an organizer of the Women’s March.
Marchers carried pro-choice signs and called for women’s rights as they marched up 8th street to Montana State University for a rally.
“I think it’s really important that women and girls find the support they need in this protest,” said Bozeman High School student, Kate Bick.
And both marches made their messages clear.
“You don’t need to be Christian; you don’t need to be Republican to be here. This is a march for all people that are pro-life,” said Druffner.
“This is a really important time to be sure that we’re inclusive and bringing everybody to the table that we can,” said Bertelsen.
Both of the marches take place annually and on a national level. The Women's March started in January of 2017 while the March for Life is in its 46th year.
