Jan 23, 2017
“When you have so many others standing up with you,” said Sarah Hussein Kimsey, a co-founder of Plateaupians for Peace, “you aren’t so afraid to speak your mind.” Kimsey and her group had organized the army of buses that would descend on Judkins Park.
“People who are privileged need to stand up for people who don’t have that kind of privilege,” she said.
Originally, Kimsey and Elizabeth Faaland, also a co-founder of Plateaupians for Peace, were planning a march in Sammamish in conjunction with the national Women’s March on Washington.
“Something was happening in our world and we needed a place to gather,” Faaland said. “We planned a march in Sammamish to show fellow residents they didn’t have to leave Sammamish to be part of something big.”
As inauguration day grew closer, support for women’s marches across the country and locally spread through social media. After group members expressed an interest in attending the larger Seattle march, Faaland and Kimsey canceled their local plans and chartered a bus.
They worried they would end up with too many unfilled seats, but instead of calling the bus company to downsize their order, as the march grew closer Faaland had to rent more buses. She made that call several more times to expand the fleet as demand multiplied.
“It feels good to offer what I feel passionate about and share it with others,” Faaland said.
