Monday Musings (The Women's March on Washington)

 We boarded the metro at 7:30 in the morning on the day of the March .  We went very early because we were organizing a group of women from Wellesley College and we needed to be there to greet them and give out name tags and sashes .  Because we left so early we didn't run into any trouble on the metro, but an hour later we were getting reports that there were two hour waits in Virgnia just to get on the train to DC .  

After meeting up with the ladies of Wellesley, we headed over to the rally location. The Rally featured many great speakers like Michael Moore, Gloria Steinem, Maxine Waters, Elizabeth Warren.and actress America Ferrera.  Singer and actress Ashley Judd read a powerful poem that a friend of hers had given her to read and it really got the crowd stirred up . We were watching the action fthe Jumbotron at Independence  and sixth, the closest we could get to the stage three blocks away .  The crowd continued to grow and by hour three we were shoulder to shoulder, backpack to belly in a sea of humanity .   I don't enjoy being in a crowd, and this one got pretty claustrophobic .  I kept reminding myself why I was there and that these people were all my compatriots .  I could endure this crush if I stayed positive .   And so I did .

Toward the end of the rally the crowd was getting restless and wanted to march .  Four hours of speeches and songs was getting to be too much for the crowd and so between performances we would chant, " start the March start the March " to no avail. Even when we did begin to move, it was slow going. I became separated from my friends and became somewhat concerned, especially because cell service in the area was almost non existent. I kept the faith that somehow we would be reconnected, and we were.

So many wonderful handmade signs that made me laugh out loud -- this gathering was marked by humor and friendship.  I'll be posting photos of these signs after I return home and can process them.

But today is rainy and I'm perfectly happy to relax horizontally on the couch.  We stayed up late the night night of the march,  drinking wine and watching news footage of DC and all the sister marches around the world.  Women have spoken. Women were peaceful. Women have vowed to hold this  administration accountable. We have pledged NOT to go backward.

It was inspiring to know that my friends across our nation were also marching in the streets.  An estimated 1 million marched in this country alone.  It was the first time since the election that I felt good, powerful, and empowered.  The women will keep my spirits high for a long time to come, because, as we sang, "This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York island....this land was made for you and me."  And because women are fuckin' fierce.