Walking up to the rally and into the plaza before the Civic Center, one could get lost or even confused if the event was still taking place. The single two encouraging signs of the rally’s popularity remained a single television news anchor getting ready to give their evening report on the events, and Terrisa Bukovinac.

Bukovinac stood alone on the corner adjacent to the location of the rally, and by herself, dressed head to toe in colorful attire, dawning equally radiantly purple hair and matching eye shadow. She was confident, holding a sign that read, “When our liberation costs innocent lives, it’s merely oppression redistributed. Pro-Life Feminist”. Bukovinac considers herself a feminist, but didn’t necessary feel like there was a space for her at this event. “Well I think the feminist movement is doing a really great job with the other issues outside of abortion, [and] those are the things I’d like the feminist movement to continue fighting for, and the reasons why I continue to identify as a feminist, even though they tell me I’m not really one,” Bukovinac stated. [1]

The founder and executive director of ProLife San Francisco, Bukovinac would have liked to see more inclusivity from the movement, something that may have brought her into the crowd. While she was alone representing her cause at Thursday’s rally, just over a month earlier in January, over 50,000 of her peers and friends rallied on Market Street at the Pro-Life rally. So where were these “pro-life feminists” representing their perspective and cause at the rally? It all comes down to inclusivity. “I think there is so much other common ground we can work with and I wish we could kind of just focus on those things, and not let this issue be as divisive as it obviously is,” Bukovinac stated wishingly. [1]

Moving further into the crowd, many empowered speakers and organizations took their turns with the mike in an attempt to rally the crowd. Most attendees were inspired, captivated by the eloquence and the fervor behind their many different voices, but failed to turn inspiration into energy. An eclectic variety of topics were up for discussion and coverage that evening, including evictions, sex work, and immigration. Many of the attendees held signs as proponents for socialist reform, in light of the controversial immigration reform and political agenda in Washington D.C. One small group of veteran advocates and social justice warriors towards the back of the crowd seemed to be rallying for all issues collectively.

Peter J. Sampson and Xi’an Redack, members of the self-proclaimed “Invisible Workers Unite Coalition” were at the Civic Center to see Fred Sherburn-Zimmer from the San Francisco Housing Rights Commission speak. Pertinent to Redack’s heart, Sherburn-Zimmer has aided Redack in retaining her home on Market Street since being selected for eviction nearly 5 years ago. Evictions were a hot-button topic at Thursday’s event, and with good cause. “Women, we make less money generally than men, and the rent’s going up, and women’s wages are lowest, it’s just really hard as a woman, you know, to have to deal with this eviction, because I live and work in San Francisco,” explained Redack. [2]

Redack’s partner, Sampson, chimed in on the enormity and the variety of the subjects at hand during the rally, stating that court issues seem to be at the forefront of attendees concerns at this year’s rally. He feels grateful for his ability to participate in these kinds of rallies, as a personal invitee of the Global Women’s Strike. “They have been very clear that the unpaid work that women do and the resources in society that go towards supporting women and women’s work, and by extension, all of our welfare and social needs, and don’t go towards killing and the military are of benefit to us. And when they don’t go in that direction, it hurts all of us,” Sampson further explained. [3]

Walking through the rally gives you a clear glimpse of many of the divisive issues at hand for women and intersectional feminists in the upcoming year, but some issues still seem to be neglected. Both Sampson and Redack finished the duration of the rally in their position advocating for one of these neglected issues. “The core thing is how there’s so much invisible work, the work of sex workers, the unpaid work of work generally, and how to bring care and attention to having actual resources, support that people can make their own choices about these things and not be forced to do these things,” Sampson iterated with regard to the fliers in his hand addressing the an advocacy foundation for sex workers.

Advocates like Sampson and Redack will clearly persist, whether or not they attended Thursday’s rally, “because how do I not benefit from it being better for all women everywhere?” gleefully chimed Sampson.