“We Are All On The Menu” Thousands of People Gathered in Chicago for the 2025 Women’s March

The annual Women’s March occurred at the Daley Plaza on March 8, drawing in thousands of people. The crowd cheered on the numerous speakers, then engaged in chants on the way to Trump Tower. Once protesters reached the tower, the crowd continued to erupt in unison, including saying, “Donald Trump has got to go” to the tune of Chappel Roan’s “Hot To Go.”

After a 30-minute break, the crowd crossed the Chicago River and headed towards the front of the Water Tower, where a second set of speakers addressed the crowd. But it did not end there — protesters then marched to the Tesla Dealership at 900 North Michigan Shops.

The speakers included Sarah Garza Resnick, chief executive officer of Personal PAC; Kathy Cortez, vice president of the League of Women Voters of Illinois; Anna Valencia, city clerk; Channyn Lynne Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance; and Precious Brady Davis, commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

“While trans people are the appetizer,” said Parker. “We’re all on the menu.”

The march was organized by Gemmes for Femmes, a feminist social club founded by Demi Palecek and Maggie O’Keefe, two Chicago-based Geminis and marketing professionals. The club is dedicated to “building an active and accountable community of bold femmes who take action together.”

Gemmes for Femmes focuses on creative activism, sharing resources, tips, and support through their Sunday night newsletter. Their mission is to “empower change and bring people together through organizing and advocacy, making it fun and relatable.”

O’Keefe’s activism sparked the day after Trump’s first presidential election. “I organized deputy voter registrar training to over 500 people across Cook County and in turn registered over 2,500 people, mostly students, to vote ahead of the 2018 Midterm election,” said O’Keefe.

Palecek, a veteran who was deployed during the infamous Jan. 6 riots, is currently serving in the National Guard and connects with her local ward organization to organize politically.

“Working with women-run organizations always fosters more collaboration. We all understand the assignment way – we knew we wanted to bring the important work each of the organizations does for the people, and the women’s march was an important, necessary, and perfect opportunity to do so,” they said. “The city of Chicago makes the permitting process super easy and the 1st district police let us know that they had no opinions on our march and that they respected our right to march and protest.”

Surprisingly, this march went under-reported.

“The most disheartening thing about it was actually the reporting from legacy media. All the major news sources underreported the crowd size for reasons unexplained,” Gemmes for Femmes said. “NBC5 reported 100+. Try 5,000+! They need to do a better job reporting actual numbers.”

For those feeling scared, O’Keefe said, “I think your voice is more important than ever. Resistance requires everyone off the sidelines to combat systems of oppression. We also understand that BIPOC communities need support without being siloed, targeted or used as an opportunity to make yourself feel better.”

“Look, we are scared, too. There are days where our couches are our comfort zones. Rest is resistance, too. It’s important to remain focused, but also recognize when you need to rest,” added Palecek. “Taking care of oneself is not selfish; it’s necessary for the long-term commitment in fighting tyranny. We don’t look at this fight in 4-year election cycles; fighting oppression, tyranny, the patriarchy is a lifelong dedication.”

Heather Carey, a teacher at Larkin High School, said her 26-year-old daughter was one of the many reasons she decided to attend.

“Your grandmothers had more rights than you do,” Carey said in reference to the young women reading this.

“Pay attention,” Elizabeth Whittaker, a psychology teacher, said while holding a sign saying, ‘America, it’s a f*cking coup!’ “They’re gonna take your rights away.”

Kayla Conway, 26, created Womanhood Unfiltered to give women the space to be open and honest about their experiences. Womanhood Unfiltered hosts a podcast and blog, shouts out small women’s businesses for free on their website, organizes meetups to engage in physical activities such as roller skating and hula-hooping, beach parties and other events so people can come together and connect.

Conway shared that activism has always been “in her blood,” as at eight years old, she started a litter club where they would clean up the neighborhood and parks on Saturdays. She explained how her own hardships and learning about hardships in other countries sparked a curiosity to help people.

“I’m comfortable being honest because I think we all have moments where we’re shallow or we’re envious, or we’re jealous, and being honest about that is where we break those barriers,” said Conway. “I know what it feels like to hate people and how much that can rule my life. And now I know what it feels like to love people and how much of a capacity that brings into how I want to live.”

“I spent my whole life wanting to die, cutting, drinking, doing drugs, not eating, eating too much, you know, and it’s just like everything was like too much for me, and it was everybody else’s fault,” said Conway. “So now I’m happy to be able to sit with a woman like you and be proud of your accomplishments, think you’re beautiful, and not think that I’m any less than you. And like, you know, isn’t that cool?”

The Leader also spoke with Beth Tomas, the founding executive director of This Girls Story — a nonprofit girl-led magazine that helps amplify teenage girls’ voices all over the world. They accept writing, art, footage of performing arts, and other digital videos.

“This is a great way for teens who identify as girls to build their resume and their confidence,” said Tomas. “We want them to develop their voice and skills that can help them become strong, passionate, articulate leaders because we want the world to change. We want a world where women’s voices are not only heard but they are respected.”

“If you haven’t voted,” said Nancy Thompson, a social worker. “Get yourself out there and register to vote.”

“Get an IUD,” Whittaker advised with a thumbs up.

“We owe it to each other to care about other people,” said Terry Anderson, a former social worker who’s now in IT. “We have to find a way to have compassion and empathy for people who are not like us.”

“And we make up half of the population y’all,” Whittaker added. “We’re not a minority.”