Traffic halted and honked in downtown Toledo and passers-by cheered Sunday afternoon as about 600 people rallied and marched chanting for unity and peace.

The second Rise Unity March was held exactly a year after the first such rally following Donald Trump’s swearing-in as the President, with protesters also taking to the streets in Washington and other cities.

“The people united will never be divided!... Love, not hate, makes Toledo great!... No justice – no peace!... Say it now, say it clear, 'Everyone is welcome here!,” chanted a group of about 50 teen members of the Young Women's Christian Association of Northwest Ohio's Teen Outreach Program.

The teens led the march nine blocks down Adams Street to Trinity Episcopal Church at Summit Street from the Toledo Loves Love Wall, a mural in the 1200 block of Adams that has become a destination for amplifying love among all races, religions, and genders. The march followed a 30-minute rally at the wall.

Tierney Sturgeon, 15, of Toledo, carried a poster that read, “If Europe can do it, so can we.”

“[Several] European countries have female leaders and we should join them in that,” the Notre Dame Academy sophomore said. “I want gender equality. I have a volunteer job at the [Toledo] zoo. Often, people come to my male coworkers to ask questions and totally ignore me.”

State Rep. Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo) was nearby, holding up a poster, one side of which read, “Ohio,” and the flip side read “Rise.”

“A year ago I was in Washington, D.C., marching with this poster at Trump’s inauguration,” Ms. Fedor said. “I’m here to unite with our community to make sure it’s ... a place where we can raise children and create good jobs.” 

Lisa McDuffie, president and chief executive officer of the local YWCA, said, “It’s important to denounce all forms of racism despite of where it comes from, despite of who says it.”

“The current administration must see and hear our action,” she said, adding that she was speaking of “anyone in political office.” 

Toledo police closed Adams to traffic during the 50-minute march, which ended with an informational meeting at the church for community members and event participants to “learn how to stay involved in their communities and with issues they care about,” according to organizers.

“The march this year is to promote unity so all our citizens understand that Toledo stands with them no matter what race, ethnicity, identity, or faith,” said Penny Tullis, the YWCA's youth development director. “Our message to all politicians is that we will not back down from women’s rights and that women are going to rise up to all levels of power to make sure we’re represented.” 

The YWCA of Northwest Ohio organized the rally and was among more than 30 participating area community groups and organizations.

Ms. McDuffie said the hope is the Rise Unity March will become an annual event after “many people contacted us and said they wanted to do it again.”

Contact Mike Sigov at sigov@theblade.com, 419-724-6089, or on Twitter @mikesigovblade.

First Published January 21, 2018, 10:57 p.m.