Matriarchy Rising (Kailua-Kona)

WHO WAVES SIGNS? WE WAVE SIGNS!

MISSION STATEMENT

Through community organizing and social activism, Matriarchy Rising collaborates with like-minded organizations to promote and protect equal rights for all.

Matriarchy Rising promotes: Activism, Solidarity, Collaboration, And is Devoted to Equal Rights for Everyone.

HISTORY

Matriarchy Rising was begun in 2017 by 2 Kona residents, Jackie Kalani and Laura Garazadine, as an offshoot of the Women’s March. Jackie Kalani organized the first Women’s March in Kona in 2017 in response to Donald Trump’s election. In 2018 and 2019 Matriarchy Rising became the main Women’s March organizers for Kona. Yvette Kay took over running Matriarchy Rising as a solo venture in 2020 when the other members were no longer able to participate.

Matriarchy Rising has a Facebook page with 535 followers where our sign waving events are advertised. Initially our group had 8 core members with a goal to wave signs weekly on the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway in protest of the latest Trump atrocity. Eventually we developed an email list of about 300 members who were notified for each event.

Matriarchy Rising specialized in creating large, funny protest signs with a message on the front and back. Every Thursday from 3-4 we’d be on the highway with our topical, homemade signs. Sometimes it would just be 4 of us, other times we’d have 30-50 people join us for events tied with a national participation by groups such as MoveOn, Women’s March, Black Lives Matter, March for Our Lives (gun control), Indivisible, Planned Parenthood, United We Dream (Immigration), etc.

Matriarchy Rising organized sign waving events for Joe Biden/Kamala Harris in 2020 and for Kamala Harris/Tim Walz in 2024. We’ve also held sign waving events for local Big Island political races and Get Out the Vote/Registration sign waving events too.

PHOTO GALLERY