I have to tell you, Saturday was really something else. I attended the March here in DC with my wife, my stepmom, my wife’s aunt and a few additional friends, and it was an experience I will never forget. As I’m sure you’ve read by now, turnout far exceeded estimates, so just getting down there from our house took a long time. If you’ve ever been stuck on the Metro at rush hour you probably know how surly people can be. Not so on Saturday. In the closest of quarters, people were laughing and sharing stories of where they came from and their delight in being present for history. In my immediate vicinity, besides the Cleveland crew that was traveling with us, we had folks from Austin, TX, Youngstown, OH, NYC, and several locals originally from Poland. There was the wife of an Army colonel heading down with a group of military spouses and a couple who had last marched in DC in the 60’s. It was as much of a celebration as people could have without being able to even move their arms or turn around.
Once we reached L’Enfant Plaza it was wall to wall humanity and movement was pretty restricted. We were finally able to stake out a spot to listen to the speakers (we were far back so all we could do was hear them), and ultimately it was more rally than march, since the whole route was clogged with people. As I looked around us we saw such diversity of race, age, gender expression, and signage representing why people were marching.
{My favorite sign–I don’t know who snapped this pic, but I saw a similar sign near us. Find more of my pics from the March on Instagram}
It was inspiring. And exhausting. I couldn’t hear everything, but in many ways that was beside the point. There was a feeling of solidarity in that moment, and I’m so glad I could participate (see what’s next on the official March site).
[Did you go to one of the Marches held around the globe? I’d love to hear about it–feel free to share in the Comments.]
Most of the reading I did this weekend was about the Marches and their aftermath; here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:
She was really something else.
Front pages the next day
I cannot roll my eyes hard enough. C’mon, NYT…
Young women represented
Many male allies this weekend, but some decidedly weren’t
Just because my experience was positive doesn’t mean there weren’t still issues
And in other news:
Such a fascinating read
Beautiful passports
I firmly believe this is also true for the work we do (and why the “patient as crime scene” approach is such BS)
5 replies on “Since Last We Spoke, 1-23-17”
I drove to Reno which is about an hour from Fallon, NV. I connected with people I didn’t know who were also from Fallon. We have started a local group and will be attending meetings in Reno. The March was just the start to something bigger! Thanks for always inspiring others to speak up and do what is right for EVERYONE!
Andrea, I love it! So glad you found local folks, too…
AWESOME! I loved the pictures, the FB/Insta pists … however I had major FOMO from my “post” at MWHC! I have to say – all was pretty quiet on that end. I didn’t get called for a single case, but we were prepared for the worst! Great job!!!!!
We also held a rally/march in Albuquerque. The mood was how you described it, fantastic and supportive. The diversity of the crowd was so heartwarming.
I drove down from Maine to Boston. Boston was not prepared for the number of people who attended.(estimates of 125,000-160,000). The crowd was diverse from babies to 80 somethings with diversity in race, gender expression, and even a super hero. As in DC signage represented attendees reason for marching. The energy was palpable. I was with a good friend. My husband had a prior commitment so was with me in spirit and told everyone where I was. My friend and I asked people when they last marched. Those of us of a certain age all said Viet Nam and Nixon. It is a beginning.