Of all the colorful, sassy and irreverent signs at the Women’s March in Las Vegas, one stuck out for 47-year-old Laura Rumco: “If Obama was still president, we’d all be at brunch.”

The thousands of people who filed into Sam Boyd Stadium for Power to the Polls, the national rally marking a year since the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., had skipped the bottomless mimosas. Instead, they spent five hours of their Sunday cheering speeches denouncing President Trump’s cancellation of DACA and attempts to repeal Obamacare.

In between calls for a more inclusive and respectful country, they grooved to female power anthems — Beyonce songs, “Roar” by Katy Perry and Hillary Clinton’s campaign theme, “Fight Song.”

“I think sometimes it takes something bad to bring us all together,” said Rumco, flanked by her daughter and an energetic pack of young girls she and a friend had brought along. “I don't know if I'd be at a women's rally if it hadn't have happened.”

Last year’s Women’s March in D.C. and in other cities, held a day after Trump was inaugurated, attracted throngs of people advocating for women’s rights, immigration reform and a range of other progressive goals. Organizers say they picked Nevada as the site of the encore event because prominent elected officials had been accused of sexual harassment, it was the location of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history and it’s shaping up to be a key battleground with its 2018 Senate contest.

Speakers included union organizers, Democratic state Sen. Yvanna Cancela, gun control activists, TV personality Melissa Harris-Perry and advocates of transgender and disability rights. Organizers are hoping to harness the energy of the one-off events into sustained political activism and concrete political wins in the upcoming midterm elections.

They cited victories including Alabama Democratic Sen. Doug Jones’ triumph last month over Republican Roy Moore, who was accused of sexual misconduct. Black women are credited with getting Jones across the finish line; 98 percent of their votes were cast for him.

Cecile Richards, head of Planned Parenthood, encouraged white women to take note.

“It is not up to women of color to save this country from itself. That’s on all of us,” she said. “The good news is when we are in full-on sisterhood, women are the most powerful political force in America.”

Attendees, many wearing pink “pussy hats,” were greeted by reams of clipboard-holding volunteers who sought to register them to vote. Women’s March organizers said they’ll also embark on a national voter registration tour in hopes of clinching the midterm elections.

Although most in attendance were women, a sizeable number of men came too, including 47-year-old Tim Staehling, who had a message for his fellow men.

“Don't be afraid. It's a cool thing. It's for everybody,” said Staehling, who had come with his wife Melinda. “Honestly, I think a lot of people dismiss it, but underlying is there's a sense of ... fear about it, and there's nothing to be afraid of.”

Tavius Cortez, a UNLV theater major who’s volunteering for Democrat Susie Lee’s congressional campaign, called it a “blessing” to be at the event. He singled out a spoken word performance celebrating the power of black women.

“I love it. I love it. There are some powerful voices on stage right now,” said Cortez, 22. “It’s mesmerizing to see.”

Celebrities who took the stage included Cher, who’s a relentless Trump critic on social media. She said she’d lived through 13 different presidents and had never seen one “that has been willing to destroy our country for money and power.”

“This is one of the worst times in history, and that's why I honestly believe women are going to fix it,” she said.

For Art and Mary Cordova, who came from California for Power to the Polls, the event was well worth the drive. Both described having to fight against workplace discrimination they attribute to their Hispanic heritage.

Activism runs in their blood — Mary’s uncles are organizers for migrant farm workers in California. They hope for a brighter future for their daughters, ages 30 and 36, and for their future generations.

“We have our eight grandchildren, and I want them to have opportunities that we had to fight for and not have to struggle for them,” he said.

Shutdown and DREAMers

Speakers repeatedly touched on the election of Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in 2016 as a reason for hope. But Cortez Masto, the first Latina elected to the Senate, and Nevada’s two other Democratic congressional representatives were relegated to offering video greetings to the crowd because they’re in Washington, D.C. trying to resolve a government shutdown.

All three voted against a short-term government spending bill because it didn’t include protections for DREAMers. One of those affected is 21-year-old Victoria Ruiz, who was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 8 and was at the Women’s March registering people to vote.

Ruiz said she and like-minded activists jumped into action after Cortez Masto indicated she hadn’t decided whether to allow a government shutdown over the DACA issue. They flooded Cortez Masto’s office with calls, urging her to use her leverage; Cortez Masto later took a stronger stance on the matter.

Ruiz said she has mixed emotions about a shutdown. But her DACA work permit is set to expire in early May, and already she’s put her life on hold amid the uncertainty — she quit taking college classes to focus on her job at Planned Parenthood so she can save money in preparation for potentially losing the ability to legally work.

“We can only hope for it and trust that our elected officials will do the right thing,” she said.

Argelia Rico, 23, said she’s also trying to focus on work as a pre-K teacher’s aide and an autism behavioral specialist before her DACA work permit expires in about a year. She said she came to the march because she was tired of being ashamed of her legal status, and wanted to raise her voice on behalf of herself and her sister.



“We need more women in Congress. We need more women fighting for our rights,” she said in an interview outside the stadium. “I feel like men lack of certain empathy and they don’t really understand where we are coming from. So, I definitely think that we need to start electing more women into positions, and holding people that we vote accountable.”

Prominent Nevada DREAMer Astrid Silva took her message to the stage of the event, telling the audience that her family lives in constant fear of being deported.

“I cannot vote. People are choosing my life for me right now,” she said. “Thank you for being here, Nevada … but most importantly: Go and vote. Vayan a votar.”

A progressive resurgence

Sandra Cobb, a doctor from Cleveland, Ohio, said she was involved in protests in the 60s during high school and college. Somewhere along the way, she said, the enthusiasm faded.

“I think we had some generations where maybe the economy and life was better and so they didn't have as many challenges,” she said outside the venue. “And then all of a sudden we see there are a lot of people that are suffering … and I think people got angry and revitalized and felt their power finally.”

She credits Trump’s “harsh rhetoric” on the campaign trail with fanning the flame.

“When he got elected, it was like we have to do something to show the world this isn't who we are,” she said.

The event was replete with representatives from progressive groups including Planned Parenthood. Attendees were mixed when asked whether the tent of the Women’s March was big enough for conservatives.

“I don't know if it's compatible,” said Las Vegas nurse Gerri Molin, 61. “I mean, I think that there's a place, and I think we need to listen to that side and come up with compromise, but I think that if you go on the boundaries and that's where you're going to stay, then I don't think there's room for it.”

Her eye-opener was when she attended a Republican primary debate in Las Vegas. While the line for the women’s restroom is usually longer, in this case, the line for the men’s room was the one snaking up stairs.

“Very little people of color, very little women. So I think that says a lot about the Republican Party,” Molin said.

Collette Johnson said she thinks it’s important not to shut out opposing opinions.

“Listening is the first key that we don’t seem to do, and then we’re also kind of forcing our opinion on other people instead of just listening and trying to find a common ground,” said Johnson, 48. “Is there a common ground? Probably so. Can we get there? Hopefully.”