This page illustrates a few photos from the Heart of the Valley Women’s March which occurred on January 18, 2025. The photos themselves were captured by Carter Pardue, a formerly employed photographer who graduated from Oregon State University in May of 2025.
Carter and myself had the opportunity of covering this event together. Carter photographing, and me reporting on the event. I felt that this was a time to take a look back at history, even if the events were only eleven months previously.
Will not go quietly back to the 1950’s
Two women stand shoulder to shoulder, huddled over a sheet of chants, their voices rising into a microphone aimed at the crowd before them. The chants, “We won’t go back” and “Whose street? My street”, are declarations rooted in decades of feminist resistance.
Caught in the act of igniting a call-and-response, their expressions show urgency, power, and connection. One gestures toward the paper with purpose, while the other speaks into the mic, embodying the collaboration that fuels grassroots activism.
Look closer, and you’ll see a sticker on one of the women’s shirts: “I will not go quietly back to the 1950s.” The slogan is a stand against regression. A personal and political statement wrapped in a single line of text. That sticker echoes generations of hard-won progress now under renewed threat…particularly in gender, reproductive, and civil rights.
The photo captures the spirit of shared leadership, the blend of joy and resolve that makes movements sustainable. In a world often divided, this moment reminds us that when voices rise together, change doesn’t just feel possible, it becomes inevitable.
“¡Shout Sister Shout!”
A woman in the heart of the march lifts her arms high, proudly holding a sign that declares, “¡Shout Sister Shout!” Her pose is both triumphant and defiant, a vibrant display of resistance. With a colorful scarf wrapped around her neck and a joyful, determined expression on her face, she commands attention, not just visually, but emotionally. Her message harks back to generations of feminist organizing, while still pulsing with modern urgency.
Behind her, a wave of protest signs creates a dynamic backdrop, messages like “Bans Off Our Bodies” stretch into the frame. These signs are a visual chorus of outrage, unity, and demand. They affirm that reproductive rights remain central to the ongoing struggle, echoing louder now in the wake of recent political rollbacks.
This image serves not only as documentation of a particular day but as a powerful symbol of what protest embodies: energy, community, and an unwavering belief in justice. Though it captures a fleeting moment, it resonates far beyond its frame. It speaks to the growing movement of people, particularly women, who refuse to be silent or sidelined. When they shout, they’re not just resisting, they’re rewriting the story of what comes next.
Pussy hats united to resist
Framed in bold letters stitched across a handmade banner, a group of bundled-up protesters stands firm behind the word “RESIST.” Each letter, sewn from mismatched fabrics, echoes the diversity of those holding the banner, unified in their message, even if they come from different backgrounds, ages, and walks of life. Arms linked, they form more than a protest line, they form a declaration of collective defiance.
Scattered through the crowd are flashes of pink: the now-iconic “pussy hats.” Born from the 2017 Women’s March as a direct response to misogynistic rhetoric and sexual violence, these hats have become both a symbol of empowerment and a spark for debate. For some, they offer visual solidarity and reclaim language once meant to degrade. For others, they represent exclusion or a narrow scope of feminism that leaves some identities out.
Behind the banner, signs flare up again: “Keep Your Laws Off My Body,” “Shout Sister Shout”, slogans that span generations but gain fresh urgency in every era. It reminds us that resistance is stitched together with shared purpose, history, and the courage to show up.
