Empowered. If forced to describe this march in one word, that would be it. It was a sunny day in Hartford, and people from all over Connecticut gathered in the state's capitol. I drove in with my mom and her friend to partake in this year's Women's March. While my mom drove, I created signs in the back seat. After much deliberation about what they should say, we decided on two things. One sign said, "High 5's for Feminism," and the other said simply, "Girl Power."
When we arrived in Hartford, we headed toward the lawn outside the capitol building. We met up with friends from our town and admired the many creative and powerful signs surrounding us. They spoke for a variety of topics, from the environment to anti-Trump to women's rights in general. At around 12:30 in the afternoon, the marchers started to move.
I marched alongside my mom, my family friend, and thousands of other strong and beautiful women. I was delighted to see a large number of men and boys in attendance as well. People of all ages came together, and it was a magical sight. We marched up from the lawn, out onto the sidewalk. There were honks of support from cars passing, many on their way to the UConn basketball game happening nearby. People from their apartments waved as we passed. We came across many inspiring souls along the way. There were strong women leading the march in empowering chants. There were children holding signs along side their moms, dads, and siblings. There was one young girl serenading the marchers with beautiful violin music. We marched under Memorial Bridge and headed uphill toward the capitol building, where all the marchers gathered at the end of their walk.
The crowd was an impressive sight for the small state of Connecticut -- few expected such a significant turnout -- and there were around 40 public speakers. Because the crowd was so large, it was at times difficult to hear every word spoken, but everyone was fueled by the energy around them. You could tell by the wave of cheers that rippled through the crowd that important words had been spoken. It was a magnificent sight to witness people from so many different walks of life uniting in support of women.
There was one women in particular, Robyn Porter, a state representative for Hamden and New Haven, whose speech was so filled with energy and passion that a sense of awe fell over the crowd as we listened to her words. Rather than following the path of many of the other speakers, she brought forward the thoughts of many black women in our community. She said, "Since the 1800s, until now, black women have been at the forefront of many movements to make their lives and the lives of others more equitable and less marginalized – with or without the recognition. Today, I say we recognize and make room for black women and their issues in this movement." Her speech was supported by a resounding "Black Lives Matter" chant from the crowd. Porter brought the importance of not only fighting for the issues we have fought for in the past to light, but the importance of continuing to evolve our movement as well.
Through it all, I felt a sensation I could not have imagined. I felt rejuvenated and filled with hope for our struggling country. I've never experienced anything like it. People spoke about their opinions with no filters, no fear, and lots of passion. It was an incredible day to say the least, and I cannot wait to march alongside more empowering women again next year.
