Mari Lynn “Bob” Bland

Born:December 17, 1982 (age 41)

Mari Lynn "Bob" Bland is an American fashion designer and activist. She was a co-founder of the Women's March on Washington and a national co-chair until July 2019.

Bland was born on December 17, 1982, in northern Virginia. She graduated from the the Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in fashion design. She worked for Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren while starting her own label, Brooklyn Royalty, which launched in 2006. She is also the founder and CEO of Manufacture New York, which promotes ethical work practices and sustainable fashion.

After the November 2016 presidential election, Bland and several other women independently launched Facebook events for a march on Washington to be held after the inauguration. After thousands of women signed up, the events were merged and Linda Sarsour, Tamika Malory and Carmen Perez were invited to be co-chairs with Bland for the 2017 Women's March. The march advocated for women's rights, immigration reform, LGBTQIA rights, healthcare reform, environmental reform, racial justice and racial equality. An estimated 500,000 people attended the march and millions more participated in sister marches across the country, making it possibly the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. Malory, Bland and Sarsour resigned from the board of the Women's March in July 2019 amid accusations of anti-Semitism, infighting and financial mismanagement.

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