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Sundance: Chelsea Handler, John Legend, More Converge on Main Street for Anti-Trump March

Source: Billboard

Some thousands of women and men converged on Main Street on Saturday morning (Jan. 21) for a Park City sister march and rally that called for the respect of human rights with regards to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, immigration and health care.

Brandishing signs that read “Make America Compassionate Again” and “We Live in Trumpled Times,” the crowd, roughly half female and half male, braved the snow and 22 degree temperatures, led by Chelsea Handler, who was inspired to organize a Park City march thanks to a THR article that addressed how Sundance’s notoriously liberal festival-goers would will mark Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.

The Women’s March on Main coincided with a massive Washington sister march as well as some 350 similar events taking place in all 50 states as well as 20 countries around the world. Joining Handler on the dais were speakers Aisha Tyler, Connie Britton, Benjamin Bratt, Maria Bello, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski and An Inconvenient Sequel executive producer Laurie David.

“Hello all you pussies!” Bello said as she delivered the opening remarks, telling the crowd, “When they punch you in the pussy, punch ’em back with your pussy power.”

Jurnee Smollett-Bell and John Legend posed at Women's March on Main Street Park City on Jan. 21, 2017 in Park City, Utah. 
George Pimentel/Getty Images
Jurnee Smollett-Bell and John Legend posed at Women’s March on Main Street Park City on Jan. 21, 2017 in Park City, Utah.

Producer Jason Blum, marching with his 20-month-old daughter Roxy, told The Hollywood Reporter, “This is her first march ever. She might be the youngest marcher here.”

David Linde, CEO of Participant Media, added, “I’m marching here in solidarity with all of my family and friends who are marching today in Washington and New York.”

John Legend was spotted in the crowd that spanned less than a mile in the heart of Park City, where shouts of “I’m With Her,” “Love Trumps Hate” and “Misogyny Has Got to Go” rang out.

The Eating Establishment, situated along the route, passed out free coffee to marchers, which included Charlize Theron, Sundance Institute’s Keri Putnam and festival director John Cooper, attorneys Linda Lichter and Jamie Feldman, WME’s Marie Sheehy. Underground stars Aldis Hodge and Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Marianna Palka, director of festival film Bitch, were also spotted joining the march.

Director Kimberly Peirce said at the rally, “There’s an assault right now on bodies of color and their rights. We all have to look out for Muslim bodies. We have to protect all bodies.”

“I am my ancestors’ dream. They fought for me to stand up here in the cold ass snow in front of a bunch of white people with Uggs,” Jessica Williams also noted to laughs from the crowd.

Aisha Tyler and Connie Britton led the crowd in an oath, asking them to raise their right hands and pledge: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute my role as an American and I will, to the best of my ability, preserve protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. And vote.”

Park City Police Department estimated the crowd to be more than 4,000 marchers. As of 9 a.m., no arrests had been made. One officer said, “This is a very peaceful crowd.”

Funding for the Women’s March on Main came from Planned Parenthood of Utah, Justice Party, Summit County Democrats, Equality Now, Alliance for a Better Utah, EMILY’S List, Sentry Financial and Impact Partners Film.

Read Billboard article here.

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