3/20/25

“As we stand in the very city where Laken Riley, a nursing student and UGA alumnus, was brutally murdered just last year, college-aged women, are once again being targeted in Athens. On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at least two democrat organizations advertised and promoted protests, online harassment and bullying to intimidate young women from exercising their constitutional right to assemble and to discuss matters such as community safety, women’s leadership and civic responsibility,” remarked Leah Aldridge, the Founder and President of Women Lead Right GA, a grassroots women’s non-profit.

The brand new UGA student organization, WLR@UGA, which welcomes all currently enrolled UGA students, planned a kick-off membership drive at a local downtown Athens restaurant on March 20th.

The Athens-Clarke County Democrats and the “Young Dems UGA & ACC,” among others, called for a campaign to “disrupt” and “protest” the UGA student organization’s meeting and their invited guests: Laken Riley’s mother, her sister, her stepfather and dear friend as well as Congressman Mike Collins, the sponsor of the Laken Riley Act. Congressman Collins was invited as a guest speaker to discuss personal safety (especially for women) and his role in securing passage of the seminal legislation.

Calls to secure a police presence from the Athens-Clarke County police were not returned before the end of the day on March 19. So, in the interest of the personal and emotional safety of the students, the family of Laken Riley and the other patrons of the private downtown business at which the meeting was to be held, the decision was made to postpone the event.

“As a society, we cannot afford to go backward. We must not allow the voices of young women to be silenced nor the right to assemble freely and safely be stripped away”, Laura Corrigan, a 1977 graduate of the Terry College of Business at UGA and WLRGA member, commented when she learned of the cancellation.

We invite you to be a part of this conversation. Stand with us and stand strong at @UGAWLR.

Media Contact:
womenleadrightga.org
leahsaldridge@gmail.com