Day two of living through history...
When I headed back downtown, I knew we'd have a lot more people supporting the Women's March than Trump, but I didn't know to what capacity. As soon as I got on the Metro, I realized it was gonna be huge. They were packed, even when boarding in the suburbs, compared to the empty trains yesterday. Women, men, old, young, every kind, every age, every demographic... representing.
My plan was to get onto the Mall and watch some of the rally, then do some of the March. Those plans quickly changed when the crowds were so big, I had to stop. I had to stop because my breath was taken away and I couldn't comprehend what I was witnessing. I had to stop because the crowds were so big, we were all stopped. I had to stop and take pictures, and evaluate what I was witnessing once I got home.
I spotted some people on top of a random trailer of sorts, and had someone help me up. He ended up being a guy from Argentina, who made a trip to the US for this day/event. [He's going to visit other places while here, but this is the thing he couldn't miss.] HE CAME FROM ARGENTINA. AND CAN YOU BELIEVE PEOPLE IN DC DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING?!? Crazy to me.
We sat down and watched the signs go by.... listened to the chants... and loved the few drumlines of sorts that brought a whole new flavor of fun to everything. Ambulances has to squeeze through the massive crowds, dudes were carrying bikes over their heads, and people were climbing lights and trees to get the perfect pictures. *side note: I'd be shocked if anyone got a perfect picture that actually did the entire thing justice.* Little kids under the age of ten were LEADING chants... Older people were upset "they were STILL protesting this," and there were signs for all sorts of issues. It was spirited and it was safe... and just...... incredible.
To be honest, I'm still processing it all. I still can't believe that in 2017, we're protesting in the streets, with physical signs, DIY hats, BY THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS. This is the stuff we read about in history books and thought "cool, they came together and fought for a good cause and made things happen." Didn't think I'd ever witness it to such massive capacity with my own two eyeballs...
Though I think we're stuck with our Presidential decisions, we don't have to be stuck with one person's way of living... So I may not think all of these signs are "right" or gonna actually help in getting things done, the overall goal of getting millions of people together all over the world to fight for rights for everyone forever- it was achieved. Now you just wait to see if you were heard.... and if your sign was spotted in my gallery below. :) [They tell me to keep things neutral here... hopefully that's mostly neutral. :) I'll share my specific opinions on my personal socials.