Women's March on Washington

Social media is beautiful today, the day after the March. It is filled with pictures and videos (including my own) capturing the energy, excitement and action that is happening to rebuke the terrible and terrifying new political agenda. Social media hasn't been this way in a while. I've thought about quitting, but instead peek through my hands several times a day, unable to turn away from the train wreck that is this new political day in the US. But at least for now, the energy has shifted and instead of depressing defense, this feels like opportunity and offense!

How did we feel walking in the crowds of more people than I have ever seen? Amazing. It was pure, pure happiness!  I marched with my beautiful boy Austin, Hayden, my Gulu friends and my best friend, Alexis from Vassar. We looked at each other and marveled at the crowd of love and solidarity.

The day before in a effort to get kids who were climbing the walls out of the house, we went over to Eastern Market to a lovely new bookstore. The only sign that the inauguration was a few blocks away was a lone Humvee parked at Lincoln Park, appearing oddly disjointed among the cherry trees and playgrounds. We were still in Eastern Market when the inauguration ended, and we grumpily crossed paths on the sidewalk with a trickle of supporters.

As we approached Lincoln Park on our way to the March, it was carnival-like. Throngs of people and posters were skipping down the streets buzzing with energy and pink. Our first sign that this was something that would exceed our wildest expectations came as we ascended the metro escalator at Capitol South. I was slightly distracted by Austin who, despite the hundreds merging onto the platform and escalator, said, "I want to ride the escalator all by myself" and wiggled down to hop on, completely oblivious to the crowd. Once I was sure he was stable, I looked back to make sure Hayden, Alexis and Freda were with us. That's when I saw the massive sea of pink and signs. On instinct I raised my fist and to my amazement, the entire platform began to cheer. Awesome! And I hadn't left the metro yet.

When we did get upstairs, we were right at the Capitol. We were greeted by people handing out free (child-friendly sized) posters. Austin enthusiastically grabbed a "LGBTQIA" sign and I grabbed an "Intersectional Feminism sign." And at once, we were in it!

We planned to meet up with about 20 friends from different places. The meeting point, Rayburn House building, is a site I know well. It is where I have all of my Capitol Hill panel discussions. It was also a block from the start of the march, right next to the Capitol, and was a great vantage point to people watch as we waited for others to arrive. We got lots of photos and videos there, including my first (& presumably last) Facebook live post. We stayed there for a while and watched thousands go by. Thousands!

Once our Gulu friends arrived, we took off marching toward the starting point. I was still debating when to send Austin home with Hayden. It was just so exciting and it was great to have them there.  But the crowds were thickening fast. I popped him into the Ergo on my back and we weighed into the crowd. The stage, mere feet away, was lost in the masses. We made our way over to some stairs where we could sit with the kids. Austin fell asleep in my lap and that's when I knew it was time to say goodbye.

Hayden carried him off into the crowd with the other Gulu dads and Gulu kids. I fretted for a while until the confirmation text came back saying they made it back to the car.

I turned to my ladies and we settled in. As we tried to figure out how to get on the March, we watched a world of love, respect and tolerance go by. We met Lezbros and Black lives Matter. We saw slogans that ranged from the profound ("Dissent it patriotic) to the profoundly funny ("Cervix says: not my president.")

All causes were on the March, but most of all this was about women. It was our day and everyone there felt it. It was a sea of pink and proud and promise and pain and, most of all, power! The power rose from every point. The power of dissent on the backdrop of the National Mall is indescribable. The special flags brought out for inauguration still hung from the Capitol and we reclaimed them. Those stars and strips. Those halls of power and politics are ours!

I fretted again, this time that there were no helicopters. I feared there wouldn't be aerial coverage to show the scale and might of what I hardly could comprehend with my own eyes and ears. (It seems media was able to do this.)

We stood on 3rd Street, right on the Mall. People at the start of the March were turning back toward us. They said the March was stopped. So we began walking in the opposite direction and surged forward right toward Pennsylvania Avenue. Like that, we were on the inaugural parade route. I guess the park police thought it best to open all roads. It turns out the original march route was no longer possible simply because every step was packed with people.

We marched down Pennsylvania and the inaugural stands were filled with: "love trumps hate," "my body, my choice," "we are the 51%" and lots and lots of vagina drawings. The irony was physical and fabulous.

We chanted, "this is what democracy looks like," and sooo many other important things. Every side street was crammed with humanity. Downtown was shut down. As we approached his ostentatious slab of gawd and debauchery that is a hotel, just two blocks from 1600 Pennsylvania, there were roars from the crowds and fevered chants of "we pay our taxes, why don't you?!"

We passed the RRB and approached the White House. Our small troupe, who included pregnant Bina and Alexis who carried 4 year old Freda on her back for hours decided this is where it ended for us. We were exhausted and exuberant. We were hungry for food and for more. More action. More peace. More love and more progress. More power. And on this day, we felt for the first time in months that we can achieve these things. Our journey forward toward equality and peace, despite the mountains looming upon us, is possible again.