The day after the inauguration of Donald Trump, millions of men, women, and children gathered all across America in order to speak out against women's reproductive rights and protest the inauguration of Trump. Thousands of people flooded the Seattle streets on Saturday, January 21st, and I was one of them. Stretching from Jenkins Park to the Seattle Space Needle, around a 3-mile radius, marched 175,000 peaceful humans seeking change.
I was initially overwhelmed at the amount of people who showed up for this event. The speakers were nothing short of inspirational. One read "Resist" by Maya Angelou and read it with such conviction that it nearly brought eyes to all 175,000 people listening. The CEO of Planned Parenthood of the PNW was also at the event, and her speech was truly inspiring, in which she said: "There is no time where we can stop fighting for the rights of our bodies and minds. We won't stand for injustice; we won't go back." Everyone cheered loudly, even the 5-year-old girl on top of her dad's shoulders standing next to us. The energy was there.
It took nearly two hours to leave the park and approach the march starting point due to the amazing turnout of this event. The two-hour wait wasn't all that bad, though; looking at all of the signs happily made the time pass. Of course, there were the original "Love Trumps Hate" and "Human Rights Are Women's Rights," but people got creative (to say the least). Here are some of my favorites.
The cutest little girl who couldn't be happier to hold her sign "Hear Me Roar." Dad of the year award, I think!
These two were the cutest couple. I asked if I could take a picture of them with their signs and he said, "Look at my wife -- she is the most amazing," and I almost started to cry right then and there.
"Bad Cheeto! No Pussy!" This one cracked me up.
This was one of my favorites. "Woke Grannies for Justice." Can we make that a hashtag?
"Grab Me by the Intellect"... Ain't that the truth.
So the signs were my favorite part, but it wasn't all that happened at this march. Myself, along with 175,000 other people, marched three miles, ultimately ending at the Space Needle. We were chanting, shouting at the top of our lungs in the "wave"-like motion for all three miles. People were standing outside on their porches dancing and waving; construction men working on the buildings in the heart of Seattle wore pink and waved while hanging in a harness hundreds of feet in the air to show their support -- how cool is that? The whole city of Seattle came together that day, and the energy there was truly indescribable.
I think another important point to say is just how positive and peaceful this woman's march was. Of course there was that singular woman shouting "build that wall," but in comparison to the thousands of people there, it didn't really have an effect. This march was all about joining together to help support other women's rights, and to put it simply: To just be nice to others. We formed a united front and our voices were heard.
I encourage all of those who are in favor of women's rights, and basic human rights, to educate yourself on the issues present in our country today and find a way to make a change. Attend city council meetings, call your local representatives, let your voice be heard.
I am truly humbled to have been able to be a part of this pertinent time in our history. I am proud to say that I marched for equality and that I refuse to remain silent in the face of this injustice.
I will use my voice for those who can't use theirs, and I encourage you to do the same.
