By now, you’ve seen the results of the world’s response to the Women’s March, an idea that spread around the planet from Washington, DC. I am astonished and heartened by the millions of people who have demonstrated that they are not going to go quietly back to the 1950s.
While I’ve never been to a rally of any kind in my life, nor considered myself an activist in any cause, I felt compelled to join the Women’s March on January 21 held in Northampton, Massachusetts, a small city near my home.
I was brought to tears when I saw the sheer volume of people that had come together in solidarity to support the things they believed in – the rights that we all hold dear – democracy, equality, freedom, basically everything that makes life worth living.
The parade blocked one lane of traffic and stretched for a mile. At six abreast, I estimated at least 2000 people, maybe more.
Signs of all kinds, carried by people from all walks of life, even pets attended. Most endearing were the small children with their handmade placards. It made me proud to see such an outpouring of love and devotion to what is right and worth protecting.
Eliza Waters 
It was a great day! We had about 15,000 in Santa Fe, NM. So amazing it was world wide!! So glad you marched too! It felt really empowering.
It was! Millions of us cannot be ignored. 🙂
Proud of you and your neighbors! Proud of the whole world standing up for human values.
Yes, indeed. What an outpouring of positivity for humanity!
I am glad you went. I was so inspired by the outpouring all over the world. We needed this boost. Let’s keep it going.
Yes, so am I. Our voices will be heard. Congress is about to get a lot of mail and calls over the next few years!
Thanks for the report and the pictures. Very encouraging!
It is very encouraging, Albert. 3 MILLION worldwide are numbers to be taken seriously!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
My pleasure!
You’re an activist now. 😀
🙂
I was in DC and it was amazing!! Call your reps and speak out!!
So right. We should each call our Rep & both Senators every single day. Let them know we’re watching.
And pat them on the back when they listen!
Yes, indeed!
Eliza, I shared your experience — before today,I’ve marched or been an activist, but I felt compelled to participate and marched in St. Paul. 20,000 were expected. Between 90,000 and 100,000 showed up! I was heartened to see the number of people who feel as we do, and so many of them are first-timers like us.
Yes, it opened my eyes and I was overwhelmed by the sheer positivity of the crowd. The energy was about love, not hate. Such a good sign! The DC organizers tell us there will be more marches to keep the pressure on our policy makers. We must show “WE, THE PEOPLE…” will stand up and let our voices be heard.
We have just begun to ROAR!
Indeed!
🙂
Amen, Sister! 🙂
Congratulations, Eliza and everyone else who marched yesterday. I’ve seen reports of big city marches across the world but to know that there were countless smaller marches too is really heartening. And it feels so good to feel heartened at the moment. Dave
Yes, we needed this boost of positivity at this time!
This is truly heartening. Thank you for participating.
Thank you, Christina. I think it is a positive sign and the pressure will continue on our politicians to not put us back to the 1950s! Who knows, this might finally unite our divided House and Senate?
Congratulations! Am really proud of all those who attended the Marches all over the World! (I didn’t know you are near Northampton, MA, it’s a nice and colorful town..;)
Merci, Louise. It was a grand outpouring of positive action. So you know Noho, eh? A great little city, we live a half-hour’s drive from there. 🙂
I have several friends in the area and I worked in Springfield, MA… Have a nice day…
Cool! Thank you!
I watched Trump’s speech feeling disgust and fear. I watched the women’s marches feeling love and understanding. And hope… Well done!
Thank you, Noortje. Hope was the takeaway feeling here, for sure. WE THE PEOPLE will ‘not go quietly into that good night.’ 🙂
So glad for your witness. Let’s hope we can all work together to keep our politicians from turning the clock back 6-7 decades.
Thank you. The DC organizers said this was only the first of many more marches to come. We also must continuously let our Congress members know our thoughts as often as we can and applaud them when they do the good we ask. Following them on Facebook or other medium is an easy way to do that. We are in the digital age now!
It has been proven, once again, what happens, without violence, when many caring humans unite.
Yes, indeed. So inspiring and what a message it sends to the world (and our politicians)!
Good for you Eliza! The outpouring has been incredible. Our voices must continue to be heard. Thank you for sharing your experience and inspiring us 💛
Thank you, Val. The highest good will prevail. 🙂 ❤
There was a wonderful difference in the marches on Saturday and Sunday, and Sunday’s sincerity and good will shone through brightly.
My favorite sign reveals the energy of the crowd: LOVE TRUMPS HATE any day and will continue to carry us higher.
Eliza, this events should give us all Hope for it is truly WE the People who will make a difference. WE are learning to stand together as ONE and it is US who will keep insisting RIGHT be carried out. God bless you!!! ❤
Yes, WE THE PEOPLE will have our voices heard. 🙂
💖💖💖
Thank you for this powerful post, Eliza. It’s absolutely amazing and truly wonderful to watch this progress, look at all thos flags! Keep walking! 👣don’t tolerate hate 👣
Thank you, Dina. This was only the first of many marches to come. There is an urgency to this cause! ❤
Thanks for sharing these photos, Eliza. Like you said, these gatherings all over the world are heartening. ❤
Thank you, Myriam!
Well done Eliza. It has been so very cheering to see these numerous, peaceful marches.
Thank you, Allison. I was so heartened by the positive and peaceful vibe. “Yes, we can!”
Whoops my comment was meant to say “I’ve never marched, etc.”
Yay Eliza! I LOVE that photo of the little girl with her baby doll in a backpack. I attended the Los Angeles march, which exceeded all projections – there is no official count but estimates range from 500,000 to 750,000. Despite the massive crowd, which is not something the introvert in me would usually tackle, I too was brought to tears on several occasions. I’m incredibly proud of my fellow humans.
Impressive numbers all over … so encouraging. Yes, LOVE TRUMPS HATE. 🙂
How wonderful, Eliza! The numbers, from what I’ve seen, were astounding. Above and beyond what they originally predicted. Love your photos, especially of the children. I think love truly will trump hate. 🙂
Thank you, Robin. It really was inspirational and weren’t those kids just awesome? 🙂
We marched not too far away in Portland, Maine. The turnout was incredible! (10,000+, likely broke records for demonstrations in the city). What an amazing day! Your photos are awesome!
Thank you so much, Michelle. The worldwide turnout was SO impressive! I sincerely hope the message was received by the politicians. 😉
Yay, Eliza! We marched in Augusta, Maine, where 10,000 people came to protest this horrible administration. (Augusta’s population is 19,000.) Onward, ho!
Those numbers are AMAZING – half the population – wow! This is only the beginning, Mr. T, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! 😉
You got it, Eliza! He and his team have crossed a terrible line, and on Saturday, the country and the world let him know what we thought of this.
🙂
I went to a lot of marches and protests here in our state capital against our governor in 2011 and 12. They were all like this weekend’s event: multicultural and multigenerational, fun, safe, loving etc. It is worth going to see who our fellow citizens are and to know we are not alone. When you see who is there it also means you can read the news and see if it is being spun or not.
Very true! Involvement sparks understanding.
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I marched in Philadelphia! It was all so inspiring.
It truly was. The worldwide response was too big to be ignored!
I too have always avoided protests–even when I feel passionately about the cause. The introvert in me hates the crowds, the non-joiner in me hates the groupiness and chanting, and I’ve always been skeptical about the actual power of protests, aside from giving the participants a feel-good glow. BUT, for the first time ever, I would have attended the Augusta march, if I hadn’t had a longstanding personal commitment that day.
If Trump is going to make a circus-like spectacle of his presidency, perhaps only street spectacles of protest will penetrate his short-attention-span brain. As individuals we cannot, and never will be able to, compete with corporations in gaining access to the power of politicians. But damn it. We can make our voices heard. I also hate talking on the phone, but called my Senator’s office today regarding her proposed alternative to the ACA. We must not go quietly …
Finally, I’ve never been much of a hater. So, it has been startling to have felt real hatred toward certain politicians this past year when I see their smug, gleeful faces as they discuss their hate-filled attempts to propel our country back into the dark ages. I need to remember MLK’s advice that: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Sigh. And roar.
Thank you, Brenda. We’re similar in our feelings here. I was pleasantly surprised at the tenor of this March, upbeat, strong and love-based. I fervently believe in MLK’s message and it was carried out in signs like Love Trumps Hate. It was a positive response to some politicians divisive MO. I was so heartened to see the worldwide response and the message that we are not going to take this lying down. We will roar strongly. 🙂
Wow, what an opportunity to e apart of this important and historical event! You got many great shots. My hope and prayer is that the courage, compassion, love and even defiance displayed in such large numbers worldwide, will open the door for some much needed empathy between both sides.
Thank you! I agree, I hope this is the first step in bridging the gap to greater understanding.
Great documentary images Eliza
Thank you, Maria. It was wonderful to witness first hand.
Great selection
Thanks for sharing
Thank you for your visit!
Thanks for your post Eliza. There are two things about this and other Women’s Marches that have deeply affected me. Firstly, the positive outpouring of a desire for all the good, noble, positive things in life: respect, freedom, liberation, tolerance, inclusion. It was moving to see so many marches in so many parts of the world. It was great to see women and children joined by men. It was marvelous to see such diversity. The second aspect, and a consequence of the Marches, was less positive. Indeed it was not positive at all. I was infuriated to see the petty-minded, egoistic, bitter, hateful and bilious comments made by certain US senators pouring scorn on these marches and what they stood for. And the way they made such personal comments too: unbelievable!
These senators see us a threat to their way of life. And they’re right – ha! An animal always gives its toughest fight before it perishes. A paradigm shift is coming, and it is unstoppable. To quote Eckhard Tolle, “Evolve or die.” To be clear, he doesn’t necessarily mean physically die, but to be born into a new thought. Thanks for your comment, Denzil. Always a pleasure to hear from you!
An unstoppable paradigm shift, quite possibly. But until it happens, there may be a lot of hurt going around.
Yes, unfortunately, I think you may be right. Ego-driven chaos!
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So heartening to see a rising up of kindred voices. There was a good turnout in Cape Town, with the march ending up in front of the Parliament buildings. May the movement continue…
Yes, we can make it happen!
Love that you went to the march in Northampton!! :)) I think we share a similar sentiment about our experiences. What joy it was to walk with so many people of the same mindset.
People are still talking about it – it was a tremendous showing of positive peaceful action. The largest demonstration in history – wow!
As always “wise eliza”…love the photos, My son no longer lives there but in Milwaukee now:-)
🙂 Thanks, Robbie!
Great pics! Thanks for posting! I took my daughter to DC. We are just getting started! https://goldisfromaliens.com/2017/02/17/we-both-wear-spanx-and-other-things-i-have-in-common-with-donald-trump/
Thank you Marie Christine. 🙂
It was such a surprise and delight that so many people came out for the marches. A hopeful sign.
I’m pleased that so many are still showing up – in reps offices, writing emails and letters, going to town halls and other marches. We can do this!
In our dear Obama’s words, “Yes, we can!”
Yes!