With reporting by Mark Van Streefkerk

First, the 2020 Seattle Womxn’s March was postponed after an unusually frosty cold snap hit the city. Then, it was moved off Capitol Hill. Now, organizers have decided to cancel the annual gathering and march for equal rights out of concerns over the coronavirus:

With heavy hearts, Seattle Womxn Marching Forward has voted NOT to gather at Beacon Hill Playfield for the 2020 Womxn’s March on Seattle this coming Sunday, March 8th. This decision is due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in King County, and influenced by the most recent recommendations released by public health.

“We did not come to this decision lightly. We stand in solidarity with API Chaya, who postponed their International Working Women’s March earlier today,” organizers posted Thursday. “We listened to our beloved marchers, who have expressed growing alarm every day for the last week. Our considerations were also with our young organizing leaders, our immunocompromised sisters, and our elders. We could not put you at risk. Your voices matter too much.”

In 2019, thousands again rallied at Cal Anderson Park before marching off the Hill in support of women’s rights in Seattle and as part of the national Women’s March movement. And thousands filled the streets of Capitol Hill in 2018. In 2017, the Seattle event got its start in the Central District and also drew tens of thousands for a march across the city.

For 2020, the plan had been to, again, step off from Cal Anderson before organizers opted to postpone the event due to a bout of freezing temperatures.

The postponement also brought a change in venue for a mundane reason — scheduling. With soccer season claiming its Bobby Morris sports field, Cal Anderson was unavailable, organizers tells CHS. Beacon Hill Playfield was chosen for its proximity to the light rail station, and accessibility for people who use wheelchairs.

Organizers had been planning a youth-focused approach to this year’s event. “We have between 10 to 15 amazing young women [who are] 22 and under. We have several high schoolers. They are all women of color, all different ethnicities, religions,” organizer Liz Hunter-Keller said. “They’re just amazing. They deeply understand the message of the march. They’ve wanted to be involved since they were old enough to be involved. They just bring so much life to the organizing meetings.”

The theme of “The New Revolutionaries” will still be part of the day. But now the event is being forced from the flesh and blood and onto the internet. Organizers are planning a day of livestreamed speeches. You can learn more at seattlewomxnmarchingforward.org.

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