Decency, truth to highlight Saturday march in Aspen
Anna Stonehouse/The Aspen Times
If you go ...
What: Fourth annual Women’s Ski and March for Decency and Truth
When: Saturday
Where: Aspen
Details: Participants in the ski portion of the event will meet at 10:30 a.m. at Gondola Plaza at the base of Aspen Mountain, then ride up to the top. At 11 a.m., they will gather to ski down to the base of the mountain, where they will meet the other marchers between 11:30 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. From there, the marchers will walk to Paepcke park, where speakers will begin to take the gazebo’s stage at approximately 11:45 a.m.
Betty Wallach has a message for those attending Saturday’s Women’s Ski and March for Decency and Truth in downtown Aspen: Come armed with facts and civility, and leave the vitriol behind.
“This year, all of our speakers should know to craft their speeches around decency and truth,” she said Wednesday. “Because who can argue with decency and truth?”
Wallach, the administrative vice chair of the Pitkin County Democratic Party, said she is encouraging everyone from marchers to casual observers to avoid the type of rhetoric — spread on both sides of the political spectrum — that’s factored in the country’s current division. In other words, leave the “Dump Trump” and “Lock Him Up” signs at home, but perhaps fashion a poster to support the Roe v. Wade decision, she said.
Given that it’s a presidential year and political tensions are mounting, Wallach said it’s important for her party to stay focused on the issues — from gun control to pushing for more funding for women’s reproductive health — while staying above the fray.
The event will begin not by foot, but on skis.
Megan Reilly will lead the ski portion of the event by meeting participants at 10:30 a.m. by the gondola at the base of Aspen Mountain. They’ll start their descent from the top at approximately 11 a.m. and meet the fellow marchers at the base at 11:30 a.m. From there, they will march to Paepcke Park, with the first of an all-female cast of speakers to begin at 11:45 a.m.
The speakers will include Luisa Berne, deputy district attorney for the 9th Judicial District; author Linda Lafferty of Missouri Heights; state Rep. Julie McCluskie of House District 61; Shannon Meyer, executive director of Response; Aspen City Councilwoman Ann Mullins; Aspen City Councilwoman Rachel Richards; Dr. Stephany Rose Spaulding, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate; and Susan Wrubel, executive director and artistic director, Aspen Film. Wallach also will speak.
As usual, Pitkin County Democratic Party Chair Howie, Betty’s husband, will emcee the event.
“It’s Aspen, so you never know who else will show up,” he said. “We’ve scored some amazing speakers in the past at the very last second.”
While the event coincides with the Women’s Marches on Saturday, it not affiliated with the national event, the Wallachs said. The Pitkin County Democrats are hosting the Paepcke Park event.
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