On January 21, 2017 over half a million men, women and children gathered for the Women’s March on Washington. In many U.S. cities and around the world there were over fifteen hundred other sister marches occurring. Those in attendance traveled from near and far to help make this statement and partake in this historic event.
The metro trains were packed with people from as early as 7 am all the way until the “end” of the march at almost 6:30 pm. All of those in attendance were happily screaming and chanting with joy, whether it was in the metro or in the middle of the streets.
Before the March, an app was developed to keep those participating informed. The app also includes a mission and vision statement, part of which says that the point of the march is to show our government that “women’s rights are human rights” and we will defend “the most marginalized among us.” That statement really shined throughout the march. Men and women, young and old, LGBTQIA individuals, and others all joined together to show that we will all stand together to support the most marginalized groups in our nation and protect their rights.
As the march operated on chants of “Show me what democracy looks like. This is what democracy looks like.” and “No Trump, No KKK, No racist USA,” among many other empowering words to describe what those marching would not stand for. At a few points during the march, the crowd even sang America the Beautiful.
Back on the American University campus, many of those who attended the march raved about the love that was present and how you could feel the unity of all of those in attendance. At the end of the day, many women were marching to protect the rights of all marginalized groups, not just women. Men and families in attendance also helped create an overall warm and welcoming environment during the March.
The March also aimed to bring attention to groups that the Trump Administration wants to take the voices away from. The wide variety of people that this March brought together began to accomplish this goal. The Women’s March is the first action under the new Trump Administration that the people have taken themselves to create change. Yesterday, women showed the administration to never underestimate the power of an entire gender.
Photo Credits: Cover, 1-5 Lisa Redeko, 6 Andrea Garcia