A Woman's Place is in the Resistance

[ny biker]

So, the Women's March was, well, hard for me to put into words. A great experience. Inspiring. Crazy and crowded. I knew so many people who went, which alone was inspiring and gratifying. And it was so wonderful to come home and see all the photos online of all the sister marches -- around the US, around the world, in cities and small towns, even in Antarctica.

I took some photos but I think I have reached my limit for uploading here and haven't had time to address that yet. For now I'll just say that there were too many great signs to photograph or remember. Some funny and clever, some serious. My favorite was one with a picture of Princess Leia and the words, "A Woman's Place is in the Resistance."

But now the question is, what do we do next? One answer is here:

https://www.womensmarch.com/

To quote from the site:

10 ACTIONS / 100 DAYS

We did it! On January 21, over 5 Million of us worldwide and over 1 Million in Washington, D.C., came to march, speak and make our voices heard. But it doesn’t end here - now is not the time to hang up our marching shoes - it’s time to get our friends, family and community together and make history.

Every 10 days we will take action on an issue we all care about, starting today.

The first action is to print out a postcard, write about what matters most to you, and send it to your representatives in the US Senate. I have printed out several copies but honestly can't decide what to write. It's hard to choose just one thing.

In the meantime, on the local level, I have identified my representatives in the state senate and house of delegates -- I used to follow the people in those positions via email updates and social media, but those folks are no longer in office and I had never gotten around to tracking down the people who replaced them. The current state senator and delegate are holding a town hall meeting tomorrow which I plan to attend. I'm also looking into volunteer activities -- we'll be electing a new state governor next year, plus the mid-term elections will be important. I feel that I can no longer afford the luxury of sitting on the sidelines.

This week I have bounced back and forth between feeling "fired up, ready to go" and feeling overwhelmed by an avalanche of bad news. I'm trying to focus on what I can do to fight back.

[Crankin]

That is great, NY.
You are right, it can be overwhelming to hear all the incredibly bad news, but one has to stay informed.
I feel guilty for not participating in the march, but I knew the crowds would be too much for me. Perhaps this sounds like BS, but my job is a form of social justice (at least the way I practice it) and I purposely chose to work in community mental health. There's not much left of me when that is done. The one thing I have changed a large amount is I don't keep my mouth shut when I hear or see things that are racist, homophobic, trans phobic, etc. I've done a lot of reading to help find words that clearly explain why those kinds of statements or acts are wrong. Not that I didn't feel that way before, but it feels like the stakes are higher.
I must say, trying to explain the concept of non-binary gender is really hard when the person you are speaking just does not get it.

[Catrin]

Good words from both of you, thank you. I don't march in VERY large crowds as it's a PTSD/high anxiety trigger for me - I can't help others if I don't care for myself. I do contribute how and where I can, donating, writing letters, making calls, whatever seems appropriate. We all can't do the same things, at least that's what I tell myself. I try to lead by example where I can.

[ny biker]

The size of the crowd could be the basis for a whole other discussion -- the logistics involved in planning were crazy. From taking part in other large events on the Mall, I knew that Metro (the subway system in DC) would be packed and I did not want anything to do with that. I had originally planned to meet up with one friend who was coming in from the suburbs with her family. After some back and forth we decided to just try to meet up at the march rather than trying to coordinate meeting at a suburban Metro station where there may or may not have been parking. (As it turned out, it was far too crowded for us to get together.) Ultimately I met up with some friends who live closer to me, and we walked 1.5 miles into DC (Georgetown) with a plan to take a bus from there. But the buses were all full, so we ended up taking a cab part way and walking the rest of the way. To get back, we walked 2.5 mile to my friend's house. It was a long day on our feet with no chance to sit down.

Then there was the logistics of food and drink. There were just a handful of food vendors (food trucks) in the area. For security reasons we were limited to small purses and small see-through backpacks. I ordered a see-through drawstring bag from nfl.com so I would have something that I could fill with snack bars and a water bottle. Clif Bars and Builder Bars FTW. On the plus side, being limited to one water bottle meant my friends and I did not need to stand on the long portapotty lines.

One thing I didn't realize until after I got home was that the official march route had to be changed mid-day due to the crowd size. The plan was a rally from 10-1 and then the march at 1:00. However the speakers at the rally went long (it was after 2:00 when Madonna spoke). After a while a bunch of us decided to just start marching, so we started walking through the crowd on the street where it began, encouraging people to come with us. (There were periodic chants of "march! march!" at this point). Eventually we hit a wall of people that was just not moving -- apparently this was because other people who were closer to the stage had started marching on the new official route, and when two groups came together it slowed to less than a crawl. At that point we were near the Washington Monument, and we decided we were close enough to the official endpoint at the Ellipse (near the White House) and that we had more than accomplished our goal for the day. And my friend's back hurt from all the standing and walking. So at that point we headed home.

Throughout the entire day, wherever we were, we saw many people carrying signs and wearing pink hats -- on the way to the march and afterwards when we stopped at a restaurant to eat. It really was amazing.

Other friends had similar experiences, changing their plans frequently in the days before the march and while it was happening. You really had to be flexible and prepared for anything. And physically, it was not an easy day. I totally understand why many people would not be up for it.

But, I think the important thing is what happens next. We need to carry the momentum forward.

(Also, there's talk of a Science March and a march to demand that Trump release his income tax returns. I may end up at them -- now that I have that clear drawstring bag I might as well use it. )

[north woods gal]

No marches in our little community, way up here in the woods, but my heart was with everyone who did march. I'm another one who gets anxious and upset when trapped in big crowds, anyway. Sends my blood pressure and stress levels through the roof.

I'm doing what I can, though, to speak when and where I can on behalf of all the many human rights for all peoples that are being stomped on. Never thought I would live to see the day when this country turned so vicious and hateful. Yes, it can be so very depressing, but it's also so very necessary in times like these to take a stand. Have been especially concerned with some of our Muslim and transgendered friends, of late. So very sad to see them living in fear in their own homes and communities. Dark times for us all.

[emily_in_nc]

No marches in our little community, way up here in the woods, but my heart was with everyone who did march. I'm another one who gets anxious and upset when trapped in big crowds, anyway. Sends my blood pressure and stress levels through the roof.

I'm doing what I can, though, to speak when and where I can on behalf of all the many human rights for all peoples that are being stomped on. Never thought I would live to see the day when this country turned so vicious and hateful. Yes, it can be so very depressing, but it's also so very necessary in times like these to take a stand. Have been especially concerned with some of our Muslim and transgendered friends, of late. So very sad to see them living in fear in their own homes and communities. Dark times for us all.

Ditto ditto ditto!