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By Steven Zaitz

As brush fires swept across Suffolk’s South Shore this past weekend, passions flared along Route 347 in Port Jefferson Station, where nearly 500 women, men, and children gathered for ‘The War on Our Rights’ rally, part of the global observance of International Women’s Day.

At noon on March 8, a fervent crowd—spanning generations, as well as genders —assembled at the intersection of Routes 347 and 112. Undeterred by the blustery conditions, demonstrators packed the sidewalk three, four, and even five people deep, stretching down to Canal Road. These local voices joined a far-flung chorus of approximately 300 protests across the U.S, alongside rallies as far away as Spain, Turkey, France, and Nigeria.

While scattered individuals had their own divergent agendas, the overwhelming sentiment of the crowd coalesced around a singular theme — deep-seated disdain for the Trump administration and concerns over its impact on women’s issues.

Shannon Russo, a 28-year-old social worker from Port Jefferson Station, organized the rally with a careful balance in mind: projecting an uplifting and empowering message for women while also underscoring the potential harm another Trump term could inflict on women’s rights and autonomy.

“Everyone at the rally stuck to the facts of what’s going on politically,” Russo said. “It’s difficult to not involve Trump because he’s directly putting people’s lives in danger with recent policies so I think these two concepts are currently very much intertwined. The key difference of our rally was we were peaceful, inclusive and supportive. The ”red side” of Long Island typically is not.”

In the 2024 election, Trump won Suffolk County with 54% of the vote over then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Seven weeks after his inauguration, his policies are sparking concern, and the crowd was not hesitant to speak out against them.

Some of the more pointed signs carried by marchers read “Respect my Existence or Expect my Resistance” and “Angry Women will Change the World.”  Others struck a softer tone like “Hate Won’t Make Us Great,” “Strong Women, Strong World.” and one that simply read “Unity.” Multiple posters read, “My Body, My Choice,” a slogan woven into the fabric of the feminist movement since the 1960s.

Evoking the spirit of that very era, a megaphone wired to a small amplifier carried Russo’s voice — and those of other speakers — who urged the crowd to never stop fighting for their rights. Between speeches, songs like Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” anthem and Carole King’s “A Natural Woman” crackled through the amp seemingly on a two-song loop, as some in the flower-power-styled crowd swayed and danced nearby.

Sarah Friedman, of Setauket and a 2019 graduate of Ward Melville High School and her sister Maggie, currently a senior there are proud to be a part of the younger generation of louder, female voices.

“We are all proud to be out here for social justice and it’s important to stand up for our marginalized communities and the people who don’t have voices,” said Friedman, 24. “I’m glad that so many of us have enough time during the day to come out here on a Saturday, and shove signs in peoples’  aces who definitely don’t want to see them or us. We have seen our share of middle fingers and stuff like that from cars that pass by, but that’s okay.” 

Her sister Maggie, 18, was undeterred. 

“Women have voices and nothing is ever going to change that. We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere!”

Although about 80-85% female, the men in the crowd were also eager to champion their causes.

The father-son team of Clark and Luke Blanton of Mount Sinai are deeply concerned about potential Medicaid budget cuts, which could directly impact Luke, who has special needs. He takes art, music and kickboxing classes at Blue Umbrella Experiences in Smithtown and volunteers at the Branches Food Pantry in Middle Island. 

“I play keyboards and sing lead vocals,” said Luke. “I love volunteering at the food pantry as well and I’m proud to be out here marching for women’s day.”

Clark Blanton, Luke’s dad, has watched the budgetary fight in Congress very closely.

“Funding for what keeps Luke active in the community all comes through Medicaid,” said the elder Blanton. “Our congressman, LaLota [Nick LaLota (R-NY 1], voted to pass a budget to potentially cut $880 billion out of Medicaid. Is this going to come from a program that has to do with my son? Chances are the answer is yes. That’s why we are out here.”

As it was her first time in the top job as organizer of the project, Russo was pleased at not only the number of marchers she was able to muster, but the spirit that they brought with them.

“This is my first time doing this, but I feel like the energy of everybody is making me feel good,” Russo said. “I couldn’t have done it without the moral support of Skyler Johnson, who is the Chair of Suffolk Young Democrats, my family, colleagues and friends. I’ve never hosted or organized a rally before, but I assisted colleagues with a few over the years. I’ve attended rallies in support of Women’s Rights and the Black Lives Matter movement.  It was so important for me to do something to connect and support women on International Women’s Day. It feels so empowering to stand with so many passionate women — and men — in solidarity.”