On Saturday, January 21, 2017 nearly 500,000 people joined the Women’s March on Washington, D.C., and nearly 5 million participated worldwide. The mission of the Women’s March was to make a bold statement on the new government’s first day in office. Although titled the Women’s March, it called upon all who believe in fundamental human rights. In the organization’s mission statement, they describe the solidarity felt across many identities. Through peaceful resistance, the march strove to unite many communities to create change. From our St. Lawrence community, many individuals chose to show their support. First Year student Alison Spasyk shares her experience…
Which location did you go to for the march?
I went to the Women’s March that was held in Washington, D.C.
Did you go with friends or did you go alone?
I went with my friend, Rosie Sacco ‘20, because I knew she was applying. I also figured that I would meet plenty of other people, which I did, because I knew that anyone who wanted to go would be someone that I would want to hang out with!
Did you go with the school or did you organize something yourself?
I went with St. Lawrence. It was led by a coalition of different campus groups, but it was mostly run by a couple of senior girls who live in the Dub. They got all of the funding for the bus and the food and whatnot. They decided where we were going to stay, and all you had to do was apply and pay $10.
What was your reason for going?
My reason for going was mostly to support women’s rights. Along with that, I also went to support environmental rights, because I guess when Donald Trump became president the two things I was most worried about were women’s rights and the environment. His anti-abortion and anti-climate stance really struck a chord with me, so that is why I decided to go and put my voice out there alongside many others.
Did you make a sign for the event?
I did! It said “Climate change is not a liberal conspiracy.”
What was the highlight of your day?
The highlight of my day was having my expectations blown out of the water. I assumed it was going to be a lot of women, but what I didn’t really realize was that there were husbands, brothers, boyfriends, and many men that went with their friends.
What was your favorite thing that you saw?
My favorite part was seeing all of the pink hats! My aunt actually made me one, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bring it or not. I didn’t know if they would be as popular as she said they would be, but I would say at least half of the people there were wearing them. So it was quite the sight!
What was the atmosphere like?
The atmosphere really reflected unity. Even though people came for all different reasons – whether it was women’s rights, black rights, gay rights, environmental rights – everybody there didn’t not support each other’s reasons. It didn’t matter if you were cheering for the cause that you were there for, or for another one. Everybody was there to support each other, and really play off of each other’s energy.
What emotions did you personally feel?
Really just awe at the sheer amount of people that were there. I’ve never been in a spot so surrounded by human beings. Everywhere you looked for miles was just packed with people. It was very limiting because you couldn’t really go anywhere, you couldn’t really go to the bathroom or anything, but that didn’t really matter at all. It was so much more amazing than it was inconvenient.
What did you take away from the march for the future?
I hope that this energy doesn’t die away, and that people continue to keep fighting for what they believe in. It was nice to see that so many people share the same beliefs that I do, and that I’m not the only one. I hope that momentum continues!
For more information about the Women’s March, and their ongoing efforts please look at their website: https://www.womensmarch.com/
Resource: https://www.womensmarch.com/