The challenges facing many of San Diego’s black women, from sexual violence to poverty and inadequate health care, were the focus of the third annual March for Black Women on Sunday afternoon.

Carrying signs with slogans such as “When Black Women Thrive We All Thrive” and “No Pride for Some Without Liberation for All,” hundreds of people participated in the half-mile march down Euclid Avenue and attended lively rallies before and afterward.

During the rallies, one at Kennedy Neighborhood Park and one at the corner of Euclid and Logan avenues, speakers energized the crowd with demands for action on the problems facing many black women.

“I am a black woman who was taught to fear her surroundings, her sanity, her existence and her future,” said Carolyne Ouya, who described herself as a mental health advocate. “I can feel us shifting the atmosphere in profound ways just by choosing to show up.”


Nyisha Washington-Green, who helped organize the event, said marches will continue to be held year after year until things change.

“When there is talk of violence against us and police brutality, the conversation quickly switches to black men,” she said. “But we forget that black women are brutalized as well — in silence. We are not stopping until our demands are met.”

In addition to better reproductive health care and economic justice, the women said they are fighting to reduce threats of incarceration faced by black women and to stop sexual violence, particularly against transgender women.

A transgender person told the crowd at Euclid and Logan that they should appreciate how unusual Sunday’s event was, because so many people facing similar challenges were gathered together in one safe place.


“Moments like this are sacred because it’s so few and far between,” said Adrian Scott. “Let us live, let us breathe, let us survive. I just want to be free to walk down the street dancing, singing — crying if I need to — being free and black without your eyes upon me like I’m up to no good.”

Organizers of the event changed the “e” in women to an “x” on all promotional material to send a message.

“That ‘x’ means that we are expansive, not small,” said organizer Jordan Hayles. “That ‘x’ means that we operate on love, not hate.”

The rallies featured some repetitive chants, such as “unapologetically black,” and African music. While the crowd was mostly black women, there were also whites, Latinos and some men.


A young black woman from Serra Mesa said she made attending the march a priority.

“I’m a black woman and my family is full of black women, and I came to support black women in the community,” said Mikalyn Clevins, who added that the ideas at the rally resonated strongly with her. “It’s time for a change for sure.”

A white woman from Oceanside said marches and rallies like those on Sunday play a key role in sparking social change.

“My Sundays are really busy, but it is really important to me to support black women, and especially trans women,” said Tammy Denlinger. “I think the more marches like this, the more awareness there can be, and the more white people will start to listen.”


The day’s events unfolded mostly peacefully, but there was a short period when members of the crowd shouted at police outside Kennedy Neighborhood Park to leave the area.

They chanted that police, while at the park to make sure the event stayed peaceful, were not welcome because they have historically been unfair to people of color, especially women of color.

San Diego’s first black women march took place in 2018, when women marched near Malcolm X Library in the rain. In 2019, the march was turned into a two-day weekend “summit” that culminated with a march on Sunday down Euclid Avenue.

The local marches were inspired by similar efforts in 2017 in New York City and Washington, D.C.