A march and rally in downtown Long Beach on Sunday, Jan. 22, will mark the 50th anniversary of the original Roe v. Wade ruling, which said women had a constitutional right to abortions — a decision that was overturned last year.

The Long Beach march is part of a series of national events planned that day. The landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade came on Jan. 22, 1973.

“We sent a clear message as voters showed up at the polls to soundly reject Trumpism and MAGA Republicans,” Lisa Del Sesto, spokesperson for march organizer LB/OC Women Rising, said in a release, referring to the midterm elections. “This month, events organized by LB/OC Women Rising send another clear message: The midterms were just the beginning.”

Long Beach’s march is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Sunday at Victory Park, 448 E. Ocean Blvd. It will end at the Gov. George Deukmejian Courthouse, 275 Magnolia Ave., where there will be a rally on the courthouse steps.

Those scheduled to speak at the rally include attorney Gloria Allred, Mayor Rex Richardson, Vice Mayor Cindy Allen, state Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, longtime activist Zoe Nicholson, Carmen Flores, Aailyah Ann Daniels and several other officials.

In October, LB/OC Women Rising organized a march and rally protesting the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe months earlier. The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization returned decisions on abortion rights to the states, many of which quickly enacted restrictive laws. California voters, though, overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to reproductive freedom during the Nov. 8 election.

This Sunday’s march will be about more than abortion rights, the group’s release said.

“Our movement is strong,” the release from LB/OC Women Rising said. “Our movement is growing and we are demanding better. The freedom to decide how, when and if we bear children. The freedom to raise children free from the terror of gun violence. The freedom to vote and participate fully and completely in a functioning democracy. The freedom to live in a country where we are invested in everyone’s prosperity.”

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For more information or to register for the march, go to bit.ly/3GObqBt.