In Mexico, March 8th is not a celebration—it is a reckoning. It is a day when grief turns into movement, when rage transforms into unity. Across the country, thousands of women take to the streets, their voices merging into one. They march for those who can no longer walk beside them, for justice that remains out of reach, for a future where safety is not a privilege but a right.
Why Women March
The march is a protest, a ritual of remembrance and resistance. It is a collective cry for the mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends who are missing or whose lives were stolen too soon. Each name chanted carries weight.
In Mexico, 11 women disappear every day.
Justice, for many, never comes.
Women march because they live in a country where walking home alone can mean never making it home. Where reporting assault, harassment, or domestic violence too often leads to blame instead of protection. Where the right to safety, autonomy, and justice still feels out of reach for too many.
They march because laws exist, but enforcement does not. Because survivors are silenced, aggressors walk free, and impunity has become the norm. Because violence against women is systemic—woven into institutions and ignored by those in power.
Silence has never been an option.
Women march because they must. Because the system continues to fail them. Because the fear they have carried for generations deserves to be spoken aloud. And because, for a few hours, they are surrounded by a force greater than fear—sisterhood, resilience, and the unshakable belief that things must change.
What to Expect if It’s Your First March
For those joining the march for the first time, it is a space that holds multitudes. The energy shifts from moment to moment—grief, anger, hope, solidarity. Some walk in silence, holding photos of missing loved ones. Others chant, fists raised, voices demanding justice. Along the route, walls become canvases for messages of defiance.
It is a powerful, emotional experience—one that can be overwhelming.
How to Prepare
Women who have marched before often share advice for those joining:
Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. The march can last for hours.
Bring water, snacks, and a bandana or mask. In past years, authorities have used tear gas.
Walk with a group if possible. There is safety in numbers. (Scroll down to see how to join Hermanas)
Be open to the emotions that arise.
Wear something purple
Beyond the March
March 8th is not just one day—it is a reflection of the battles fought every day. In homes, workplaces, communities, and policy-making spaces, the fight continues. The march is a reminder of the work still to be done, a space to channel pain into action, to demand better, to refuse to be forgotten.
For those who step into the march for the first time, it is a moment understanding that this movement is not distant—it is personal, it is urgent, and it belongs to everyone.
We will follow the same march schedule as "WE R WOMEN ON FIRE". Meeting point: Fuente de la Diana Cazadora Meeting time: 11:30 a.m.
Time to advance: 12:30 p.m.
Resources to go deeper:
Why women in Mexico protest instead of celebrate by Teach Us Consent — Putting consent, respect and empathy at the heart of sex education
Revolución Violeta — Initiative against gender-based violence in Latin America
The Yucatan Times — Over 180,000 people attended the 8M march in CDMX
48 hills — No “Happy Women’s Day” at Mexico City’s radical March 8 protests
Ojalá — 8M in Mexico City: feminist fight and renewal
