Staff Report

For the second year in a row, they took to the streets.

All around the country, millions participated in the second annual Women’s March. This included the Seattle Women’s March, which took place on Saturday alongside the many others nationwide.

The local event brought together tens of thousands of people from throughout the greater Puget Sound region, including Eastside residents.

Members of Redmond’s Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) marched with a huge banner emblazoned with the words, American Muslims. Proud, Powerful, Here to Stay!

Aneelah Afzali, founder and executive director of MAPS-AMEN, which stands for American Muslim Empowerment Network, spoke at a rally in Seattle for the second year.

“We will further rise and organize! Persist and resist! Protect and elect! Heal for real! Time’s up!,” she energetically told the crowd. “I’m still a proud American Muslim woman, and we have a proud American Muslim community here today and here to stay.”

Eastside activities on Sunday included an introduction to Islam at MAPS, a panel on how to build the next generation of female leaders and various breakout sessions at Central Washington University-Sammamish covering topics ranging from homelessness to the challenges refugees are facing. There were also events throughout the region to get people to register to vote.

Aneelah Afzali, founder and executive director of Redmond’s MAPS-AMEN, right, with other American Muslim community members at the Seattle Women’s March. Courtesy of Zubeda Adem