Today, I stood in solidarity with millions of people worldwide.
I had never felt quite as moved as I did when I first caught sight of the crowd gathering on the steps of the Art Institute and on Michigan Ave. Hundreds of thousands of people of every gender, race, sexual orientation, and age group gathered in support of their fellow women. A sea of pink and pussy hats led the charge towards Grant Park and beyond, the masses filled with people chanting and carrying exceedingly clever signs. It didn't matter that we couldn't hear the speakers. It didn't matter that the march itself moved at a snail's pace. What did matter was the overwhelming sense of hope that came from being there.
I have spent far too many days since Election Day fearing the incoming administration. I worried about its rejection of the existence of truth, its refusal to acknowledge very real problems facing Americans, its tendency to belittle opponents rather than actually attempt to have a discussion. I was so worried for my country. Going to the Women's March on Chicago allowed me to reclaim some of my hope. I walked with friends and complete strangers, chanting "This is what democracy looks like" and "Our bodies, our choice." I watched as little girls and boys climbed on their parents' shoulders to watch the crowd, some of them even holding their own signs. Today I saw proof that millions of Americans and others worldwide will not sit by in silence. I saw a little spark of hope.
Don't let the Trump administration diminish the enormity of what has occurred today in Washington DC, CHicago, Los Angeles, New York, and dozens of other cities worldwide. The government is of the people and for the people, and we are going to take our country back. We will protect vulnerable groups from injustices and abuse. We will stand up for the truth. We will turn out to vote in the 2018 midterm elections and in the 2020 presidential election. We will be watching and scrutinizing every decision this new administration makes. Hope will move us forward, not hate. It's time the government listened to its people.
