The Women’s March took place on January 21st, and ever since nearly everyone has been talking about it. Hundreds of thousands participated in the event, even some of Trinity’s own. Luckily, this past week we got the opportunity to hear from a Trinity student who made the trek down to Washington to take part in the march. Junior Lauren Glasse, an English major and Studio Arts minor here in Hartford, was gracious enough to share how her experience at the march with us. Here’s what she had to say.
I saw you went to the Women’s March on Washington this past Saturday. Was this your first Women’s March? If so, what inspired you to attend?
It was the first protest I had ever been to. When I heard about the March shortly after the election, I strongly felt that I had to go. Over the past year, I’ve become more angry and upset by the growing disregard for civil rights and women’s issues that Donald Trump has promoted with his ultra-conservative un-democratic agenda. I find it disgraceful that the President of the United States is setting the worst possible example of acceptable behavior toward women and minorities. His actions have encouraged misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and homophobia. I am also concerned about the increasing number of incidents of harassment, catcalling, and sexism that many of my friends and I have personally experienced and now fear will only grow more prevalent in our society if they go unaddressed.
Did you bring or make signs in preparation of the protest?
I went with my friend, Liv Ouellet, also a Trinity student, and we wished we had put more thought into our signs once we arrived in DC and saw how elaborate some of them were. My sign said, “Women’s rights are human rights.” I identified most with this slogan because it absolutely baffles me that in 2017 this simple, seemingly obvious fact is still not clear to a large portion of the country.
Give me a short description of the event through your eyes— where did you start and how far did you walk?
The most exciting part was walking from the stadium where all charter buses parked to the meeting point in the city center in the morning. We walked through residential neighborhoods with hundreds of other marchers (mostly women), and on almost every lawn there were signs with different Martin Luther King Jr. quotes on them. Residents of the neighborhoods we passed through waved and cheered us on from their front porches, their yards, or their bedroom windows. There were a bunch of little kids still in their pajamas.
As we got closer to the meeting point (3rd Street & Independence Ave.) the crowds grew, and eventually all the streets were completely blocked to cars by protesters. It was such a huge event that where we stood for the rally was very far from the main stage – there were speakers and large screens so we could see what was going on. It was so packed you couldn’t really move.
After the main march, the crowd cut across the National Mall and went straight for Pennsylvania Ave, where police initially tried to block us, but we ended up walking a block over and then cutting back to Pennsylvania. The entire street was filled with marchers as far back as you could see. The bleachers left over from the inaugural parade were completely filled, there was a helicopter circling overhead, and it became clear then just how monumental the event was.
At the end of the March my phone pedometer said we had walked 10 miles.
What was your knee-jerk reaction to the atmosphere of the march? Did people seem happy, mad, excited, anxious?
It was by far the most moving thing I’ve ever experienced. There were so many times during the day when I couldn’t help but tear up because it was so overwhelmingly positive. The energy was not happy – as one speaker at the rally said, “this isn’t a party” – but hopeful. As corny as it sounds, the energy was truly electric and not comparable to anything I can think of. Everyone was clearly on the same page and attended the march because they cared about each other. All the attendees were so polite and friendly – it didn’t feel like being surrounded by a million strangers at all.
The March was not well received by all, some of the biggest critics coming from politicians. State Senator Jack Sandlin and State Representative Jim Lucas’ offensive Facebook posts shared after Saturday, including one meme with the caption, “In one day, Trump got more fat women out walking than Michelle Obama did in 8 years.” What is your reaction to this?
Politicians who criticize or make fun of the Women’s March are coming from a place of privilege. They aren’t immigrants. They aren’t concerned about the environment. They are fortunate enough to never have to worry about pay inequality, discrimination, or infringements on their bodies or losing their healthcare. Furthermore, they don’t care that other people worry about these issues. While many of them are more beholden to special interests groups and lobbyists than to the people they represent, they need to hear that they will be held accountable in the next election if they continue to ignore and disregard American values and human rights.
What message are you hoping to spread by attending and encouraging events such as this one?
The majority of Americans are still hopeful and recognize that we are only a successful society if we protect the rights of all Americans. Diversity, respect, and acceptance are what make our country strong. Trump and those who support his agenda can try to spread hate, but, as evidenced by the millions of people who protested all over the world on January 21st, there will no doubt be continued resistance.