Featured Image Source: Megan Hutchison
Saturday was a beautiful day. Oh, it was overcast in Philadelphia and Bekah’s hair held all of the humidity of the east coast. And the rain poured down in San Francisco. And LA was so packed that you can’t call any of the movement done that day “marching” per say. But the unity of peaceful protest and the coming together of men, women, children (and dogs) under one unified purpose- love– was incredible.We’ve seen hateful things written online against the march, and we’ve heard of groups feeling left out and forgotten. With any big movement there will be haters, and it won’t be perfect. But what we can all say we experienced was love and unity and the indescribable connection to our neighbors and friends and family who were marching together, even when separate, in cities and countries across the entire globe.
Here is a bit of our experience:
Bekah – Philadelphia, PA March
This was my first protest/march/gathering of this type EVER, and I’m so proud to be a woman today. We are INCREDIBLE creatures, and I believe TRULY the answer to heal the divide that fractures our country lies with the power of women. I’m not sure what that looks like or how that will play out. But I know that together we can achieve greatness.
I’m also so incredibly proud of the men I know who marched in support of the women they know and love on Saturday!
(and a scene from Pittsburgh)
Jamie W- Philadelphia, PA March
This march was the first one I’ve ever been to, and it was awesome. I felt proud, and happy, and empowered to see how many people were there fighting for the same cause. Being there with Bekah was fabulous of course, but I also met lots of new people. Everything was friendly and enthusiastic, but very easygoing and peaceful at the same time. Going out into huge crowds is so not my thing, and it’s still not, but this experience made it clear that the crowds can be worth it. I wish that there wasn’t going to be a need for more protests in the future, but unfortunately, we all know that there will be. When those occasions come, whether it’s another rally and/or other political action, I’m more confident now than I was before that I’ll be able to participate in a real way. Many people have been saying it- and I agree- that yesterday was the most optimistic they’ve felt about America since the election. We have a rough road ahead of us, but if we can all continue to stick together like this, we might just be okay.
Laura – Frederick, MD March
Yesterday’s Women’s March wasn’t my first march/protest/political thing I’ve done. I was lucky enough to be elected as the president of my college’s chapter of College Democrats during the 2000 election. I helped sign students up to vote and gave them information on BOTH candidates, so they could decide for themselves which candidate best allied with their belief systems. I remember challenging the president of the Young Republicans, during a debate, to explain to me how the glass ceiling affected women worldwide. He didn’t even know what the hell “a glass ceiling was.” True story.
So, this march for me was a beautiful and poignant moment of community and hope. My hometown can be quite conservative, although progress has been made in the last few years which brings, even more, hope to my heart, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this march.
It was a real success, and I’m not too proud to admit that I fought back tears for the first ten minutes of the march. Seeing little ol’ Frederick being so open and loving was a touching moment and one I will never forget.
Not only was my hometown there to represent, but my Facebook feed was filled with love, pride, and hope. #GetItGirls
Nikki – Los Angeles, CA March
Among an estimated 750,000 (!!!) people in Los Angeles, we joined with our neighbors, our friends, family, fellow Christians, and people not like us to March together, united in love and a common cause.
The energy among the crowd was amazing, positive and reminded me that we’re not alone that millions of people around the world agree that humans matter and this administration and this political climate is NOT normal.
One of my favorite signs created by a friend said “I March for the marginalized because the God I know loves all humanity.”
We will build bridges and not walls.
Julie – San Francisco, CA March
To see a sea of people – yes, women, men, and children! – reminded me that America is already great. Not even the rain could hold us back.
For me, the march was coming together in love and solidarity to show those in government that our voices will be heard and that listening is an act of love. If there is one thing that we have been lacking in the past is the ability to listen to each other, even if we disagree.
As a Christian woman, I was proud to stand with those from different backgrounds, faiths, opinions, and say to our government and to the world, “We will not be silenced.”
Heidi – Walnut Creek, CA and San Francisco, CA March
I’m a politically active person. I’ve volunteered for many campaigns (winners and losers), marched, protested, and angrily hidden family members on Facebook with the best of them. I also think I’ve a fair-minded person who recognizes that democracy is messy and rarely perfect. I don’t expect perfection, but I’ve naively come to expect that we all hold the same values of human decency, kindness and respect. The 2016 election destroyed that for me.
So I marched.
I started out the day attending a local march in a comparatively conservative (affluent) part of the California Bay Area near my home. My husband and I pushed our kids in their strollers and explained that we were marching because, “Yesterday was a sad day for a lot of people, but today we are remembering the good things.” My sister attended with her family as well. After thirty minutes we were muddy, wet, and inspired. The day of the inauguration was hard, but being surrounded by like-minded people who demand better, was like medicine on a wound. We were so inspired that after we dashed off for my daughter’s birthday party (modern-day feminist) my sister and I went back that night to march again in San Francisco.
The work is just starting. We have so much to learn from the feminists who have gone before us, specifically the women of color. We are imperfect. But we are many and we are powerful.
Stay tuned for scenes from DC coming later today. And yes, we’ll shut up about this eventually and get back to our regularly scheduled scenes of hot shirtless dudes. But for now, #hearusroar
