Marchers gather around the The Rock at Ketchikan’s Berth 2 after the march for RBG (KRBD staff photo by Maria Dudzak).

About 40 people gathered Saturday at the downtown dock in Ketchikan to honor the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

As the event began, attendees were carrying signs with sayings such as “Don’t be a lady, be a legend,” “Dust settles, I don’t,” and “Vote and tell them Ruth sent you.”  Others were holding political signs in support of Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president.

Sid Hartley speaks at the women’s march in Ketchikan October 17, 2020(KRBD staff photo by Maria Dudzak).

Sid Hartley helped spread the word about the march which was organized by Janalee Gage. Hartley encouraged women to stand up and be part of the big decisions that affect their lives.

“And as Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, women belong in all the places where decisions are being made.  And many of you know I’m a big contender of decolonization and things like that. But part of decolonization is dismantling the patriarchy so…let’s get ‘em!  (applause).

After brief speeches, the group marched down the promenade from the bronze sculpture, “The Rock,” at Berth 2 to the Berth 4 pavilion.

“Just because she passed away doesn’t mean the legacy did.

That’s marcher Joey Jean Tillson.

“The legacy needs to carry on and it needs to be cultivated even stronger now.  Because when those voices are gone, it’s up to us to replenish.”

Karen McKean Updike was playing music by a group called the Highwomen on her iPhone. She says she attended the march to be part of the energy and support the cause.

“So for me being a woman and being a person, I can’t just sit back and not try to say something, even in our small little town. I just really really respect the leadership of the women here and the women that we’ve been following with Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”

Janalee Gage addresses the audience at a women’s march in Ketchikan on October 17, 2020 (KRBD staff photo by Maria Dudzak).

At Berth 4 the group was joined by supporters of Jo Jorgensen, Libertarian candidate for president, two dressed in dinosaur costumes. The group then walked along Water Street to return to Berth 4 and gathered for photos. It was a fairly quiet event but organizers said they were pleased with the turnout and hoped they brought attention to the legacy of the late Supreme Court justice and encouraged people to get out and vote.