I had the pleasure of attending the Indianapolis location Women's March this past weekend. With all of the hate and anger of the inauguration, it was beautiful to see so many people come together in peace and love. I had never attended a women's march before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but after attending, I would encourage every women AND man to attend at least one. Go and hear what people have to say. Here are some things I saw while I was there.
Women of all ages
Every woman was there, from babies in strollers, to older women with walkers. It was moving to see such a large range of women coming together. I love when I see mothers exposing their children to feminism, and explaining to them that they will grow up in a man's world, and should know that if they peacefully fight for what they believe in, their voices will be heard.
Men
I was pleasantly surprised to see men at the march as well. Husbands were standing with their wives, fathers with their daughters, and some men appeared to just be there to see what all the fuss was about. I heard a quote,"Men of Quality stand for Equality." These men believe in equality, they're feminists, and they were there supporting the cause and in some cases fighting for a cause of their own.
People of all different races, ethnicities, and religions
There were people from all over the world. What a lot of people don't understand about feminism is that these issues are everywhere, and women all over the world have different causes they are fighting for. But there is one thing we all have in common: We will not be silenced.
Everyone there was fighting for a different cause
20 feet from where I saw women fighting against the defunding of Planned Parenthood, I saw a woman holding a sign that said, "That's not a typical position for rape." She was quoting what a judge told her when she came forward about being raped. We hugged her and told her we admire her strength, and that she is beautiful. There were also people there in support of Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ rights, Immigration laws, and there were even a few Trump supporters protesting the protest. But no one asked them to leave. Everyone was welcome. It was peaceful, and about having our voices heard.
Some amazing speakers
All of the people who gathered at the State House stood and listened to some very moving speakers. They talked about what we hope to see in the future, what we're outraged by, and there were even people planning to run for offices in the future that told us: I hear you. I see you. You matter. One of the most important things I heard, though, was a speaker give her speech in English, and then translate it into Spanish because she understands that not all women are the same, but we all want to fight for a cause.
Creative signs
Almost everyone I saw there had a sign they had created. They had catchy slogans, and quotes said by women throughout history. They were paired with cat-ear hats and t-shirts. There is strength in numbers, but it is wonderful to see women using their creative sides to make their voices even louder.
