On January 21st, 100,000 people gathered at the State Capitol in St. Paul, MN to declare: “Women’s Rights are Human Rights.”  Recent actions of the NRA demonstrate not only a disregard for the lives of black and brown people in America, but appear to be a direct endorsement of violence against women, our families and our communities for exercising our constitutional right to protest. Additionally, their silence regarding the killing of Philando Castile is unacceptable.

In a statement, Women’s March said, “Since the acquittal of Officer Yanez for shooting and killing Philando Castile in Minnesota, the NRA has failed to make any statement defending the civil rights of Mr. Castile, a law-abiding gun owner who can be heard in video footage clearly notifying the officer that he was carrying a licensed firearm. The NRA claims to stand for the Second Amendment rights of all Americans, but their silence on Mr. Castile’s constitutional right to own a gun betrayed a deep hypocrisy that many joined in calling out.”

This Friday, July 14th, the organizers of The Women’s March on Washington will host a rally at the NRA and will march 17+ miles to the Department of Justice. Locally, Women’s March Minnesota is announcing the continuation of a series of in-depth discussions. “In speaking with local organizations that are leading the efforts in the fight for Justice for Philando, it quickly became clear that the most important thing we could do is bring people together to reflect on the true issues behind the tragic killing of Philando Castile. Our goal is to convene with community members to discuss our experiences and explore the ways in which we can each help to bring about change,” says Bethany Bradley, a member of the Women’s March MN Steering Committee. 

Titled: “Racial Bias: Identifying and Overcoming Implicit and Explicit Racism”, the next “Messy Conversation” will take place on August 9th and is limited to 200 people due to space, you can register here to learn more about this conversation series visit our Messy Conversations Page

Women's March MN is also encouraging followers to connect with local groups at the forefront of challenging the NRA. Specifically, Moms Demand Action and Protect Minnesota, who is hosting the Northstar Public Healt­­h Conference on Gun Violence September 13th & 14th.

Supporters are also encouraged to watch the D.C. rallies and march live on our Facebook page