I’ve only attended two previous protest marches in Washington DC before: (1) The Millennium March on Washington, in 2000, for LGBT rights—it was criticized by many, but it was my first chance to participate in such a march as an out gay man; and (2) The March for Equality in 2009, which, with it’s plea for inclusion in hate-crimes legislation and marriage equality, was more substantive than the Millennium March, but was less well attended. Both of these experiences pale to a pallid white when compared with our experience at the Women’s March in Washington on January 21, 2017, the day after Cheeto Jesus’ inauguration. More to follow below the fold…
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RevKatie, hubby and I set out on our trip to Washington in Friday afternoon, after hubby got back from work. I had made reservations for the night at a hotel outside of Baltimore (because I figured it would be easier to find a room further out and, being a native Baltimorean, I know my way around). A good portion of our journey took place on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. RevKatie and hubby had been busy for the past couple of weeks knitting pussy hats to give away to any marcher (or other) who wanted one, and they continued knitting while in the car. We stopped at the rest stop at Somerset (eastbound), and noticed people both entering and leaving wearing pussy hats! So we donned ours and went in. Quite a large fraction of the people at the rest stop were on their way to Washington from points west: Pittsburgh, Akron, and even Chicago. We easily saw a few dozen traveling protesters in our 15 minute stop, and I had to wonder: How big is this protest going to be? (Photos were taken at the rest stop with our fellow travelers, but unfortunately, I don’t have any of those.)
We hit the road on Saturday by 6 AM so as to have enough time to meet Kascade Kat at the appointed meet-up. Even with that early start, we got there a few minutes late (photo at top). We drove to the Silver Spring Metro Station, got our cards, and boarded the Metro for the trip to the Mall. We had lots of company:
Hubby and RevKatie gave away most of their pussy hats on the Metro. One of these was a baby hat that RevKatie had made. Wouldn’t you know, there was a baby to put it on:
But not everybody was wearing a pussy hat:
Here’s the Metro platform where we arrived; there was no lack of people:
Once we met up with the other kossacks, we headed for the rally venue, but as we got closer to the Mall, the crowd got progressively denser.
Eventually, it became impossible to move, and so, some minutes before the program started, we were stuck, standing and packed, with a Jumbotron is sight (at least), in from of a medical tent. We had made it not quite to Independence Avenue, at the intersection behind and between the Air & Space Museum and the American Indian Museum. And there we stood for the next 4 hours, barely moving. Poor RevKatie, because she is so short, asked me to take pictures of the Jumbotron for her so that she could see who was speaking. Here’s the photo I took for her of Gloria Steinem:
Pathetic, I know. However, a friend of ours who came down separately managed to score 5th row seats to the stage, so her celebrity photos are much, much better:
Gloria Steinem
Michael Moore
Kamala Harris
Angela Davis
Tammy Duckworth
I don’t want to go into the list of speakers and performers into too great detail, because I want this diary to have an end. However, among the high points for me were America Ferrera, Gloria Steinem, Michael Moore, Ashley Judd (who gently pushed Moore off-stage), six-year-old Sophie Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Kamala Harris, Tammy Duckworth, Kirsten Gillibrand, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, and many others that I can’t recall at this moment. However, 4 hours is a long time to stand in one place, and around 1:15 PM, when the march was actually scheduled to start, after each speaker, the crowd started to chant “March! March! March!” However, there was always another speaker.
At about 1:45 PM or so, we decided to start moving toward the Mall, if it was possible to do so. We started traveling away from the stage, slowly threading our way through the packed crowd. It took us a block to manage to find some breathing space. However, attempts to get to the Mall at the next intersection failed, as the crowd on Independence was still too dense to walk through. So we proceeded down another block. Eventually, when we got to the old Smithsonian building, we found the crowd sparse enough to cross to the Mall. Rumor had it that the path of the march was to walk down the Mall to the Washington Monument, and then turn right toward the Ellipse. So we did that. Eventually, we marched up 15th Street, past the Treasury Building, in order to try to make it to the front of the White House. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania Avenue was blocked off, so no go.
Popular chants:
We’re not going away!
Welcome to your first day!
You’re orange!
You’re gross!
You lost the popular vote!
So that last one doesn’t quite rhyme, but it’s nonetheless true.
Here are some shots (both RevKatie’s and those of my other friend):
Madonna on the Jumbotron, Langston on the placard.
Watching the world go by
At the Treasury Building, we got a preview of the portrait of Harriet Tubman bound for the 20 dollar bill. I will be so glad when Andrew Jackson is banished from our money, and a real American hero will replace him!
Abe, Alex, and Harriet
Finally, here’s a photo dedicated to two friends who couldn’t make it to Washington:
Be sure to check out the diaries by Kascade Kat here and, and the one by eeff here.
Now on to the comments!
Top Comments (January 25, 2017):
From Chris Reeves:
wrights’ response to blueoregon’s comment is a classic that ought to live forever. From Chris Reeves’ recommended post on Republican hypocrisy on guns.
From gizmo59:
annieli posted a sign from the March in this comment. I didn't see it, but I wish we had; both hubby and RevKatie were knitting while marching. However, they did not run out of yarn.
Top Mojo (January 24, 2017):
Top Mojo is courtesy of mik! Click here for more on how Top Mojo works.
Top Photos (January 24, 2017):
Tonight’s picture quilt is courtesy of jotter!