For the past few months, Kinyata Jackson has spent a lot of her time at the Whittier Cafe in Denver. It's become almost like an office space for her and her team as they put the finishing details together for The March for Black Women Denver.
"In the state of Colorado, there are not as many of us but when we ban together, we are pretty strong and I thought it was nice for us to have a platform and come together," she said.
It's the second year for the event in the Mile High City, which Jackson said has a different message than other women's marches.
"Our voices should be uplifted and heard," Jackson said. "The voices of those impacted by the issues being fought for gets suppressed by the voice of the majority. So, at this march, we're able to specifically lift up the voices that are under heard or overlooked."
The march focuses on issues impacting the African-American community like youth violence, sexual trauma and mental health stigmas. But Jackson said these issues impact us all. Which is why this year the march added more voices, calling on all women of color and allies to show up to the march.
“It's anyone for us that's wanting to support black women and the healing and justice that they're seeking," Jackson said. "We don't live or exist in this world alone and so at the end of the day if we want solutions to these issues we've got to be able to sit down at a table, call them out together and work together on a solution that can benefit everyone.”
Jackson said women are often excluded and not heard but this march will serve as a safe place.
“A place to relax and let your hair down and not worry about how you look, whether or not your English is being spoken properly but where you can really let your hair down and be you," she said.
But Jackson said uniting is the key.
"Women of color uniting really increases our people power because then it's not the black women anymore,” she said. “It's not Latina women, it's not Asian women it's literally women coming together, and we have power in that number. As women of color, we do have a place here and we're going to rightfully take it."
The March for Black Women is Saturday at the State Capitol starting at 11 a.m.
