A Gryphon’s account of a historic day for women in the U.S.

My march on Washington

On Fri, Jan. 20 at 6:30 p.m., I boarded a flight in Toronto that was headed to Washington, D.C. I was one of the first to board the small propeller plane, but as I waited for the remaining 50 passengers to board the flight, I noticed that many of the individuals on the plane were headed to Washington for the same reason I was. We were going to march in what would become a historical moment for women’s rights.

I was further surprised when my plane landed in Washington and I was greeted by border security with optimism and hope. Everyone I met in Washington was so proud to have people from all over the world come to join them. In my short conversation with the customs agent, the only question he asked me was, “Why do you want to march?”

When I told him I felt that an injustice was being enacted on my American sisters, and that I wanted to stand and fight alongside them, he smiled, handed my passport back, and told me to be safe.

Before I flew to Washington, many of my friends and family members were concerned that I would be denied entry or that I would be find myself in an unsafe city. So far, I was pleasantly surprised with what I was seeing before me.

On the day of the march, I had originally planned to take the subway to Washington’s Eastern Market so that I could meet up with the other Canadians who had decided to come support our American sisters. When I arrived at the subway station at 8:30 a.m., an hour-and-a-half before the rally was planned to start, I couldn’t board because each train that came was packed to the doors with marchers. Instead, I decided to turn around and walk to the rally where I hoped to run into some fellow Canadians.

[media-credit name=”Courtesy of Liz Hearne” align=”aligncenter” width=”1020″]

I arrived at the rally at 9:30 a.m. and found myself among thousands of passionate people. Television screens and speakers were set up so that you could see and hear the stage from wherever you were. For the next five hours, I sat on a retaining wall and listened to some of the most passionate and inspiring speakers I have had the pleasure of listening to in my young life. Women and men alike told their stories of inequality and injustice, reminding us just how important programs such as Planned Parenthood are. These speeches gave many of us hope by providing answers to the all-important question: “What can we do to help?”

After a long five hours, the crowd started to become restless, chanting “march” over and over again in an attempt to get the group going. It was discovered, however, that our marching route was completely covered with protesters. Instead of marching our predetermined route, we took to the streets, filling Washington with chants of “Women’s rights are human rights” and “We will not go away. Welcome to your first day!”

These protests went late into the night and filled every street in Washington. It was inspiring to be a part of such a large-scale event.

While this march will go down as an iconic moment in history, it is important not to forget what the event stood for. Speakers continually reminded the audience that it is not enough to come out and protest, but that if we want to truly make a difference, we have to contact our governing bodies at the local and national level, run for office and most importantly, people have to go out and vote. One speaker spoke out on how only 53 per cent of white women visited the polls to vote versus a staggering 94 per cent of black women who, not only made it to the polls, but also voted for Hillary. If women want to make a change in the government, it is important to get out and vote so that a governing body that reflects your values is elected.

Being at the rally in Washington was a truly inspiring experience for me. The passion felt by each and every person at the rally was clearly shown in the chants, cheers and signs, and each speaker humbled the audience through their story. While the five-hour rally was admittedly a little long, each speaker had a unique story to tell that connected to a different minority or group that came out to protest that day. I hope that those who attended the rallies in Washington and around the world remember that change cannot be made in a day.

I urge the men and women who attended these rallies to take the momentum they gained there and move forward with it. Start by making change at the local level by running for office or contacting congress about issues that are important to you. Do not let this simply go down in history as the day that 2.5 million people worldwide protested the new president of the United States. Have this be the day that change started.

Photos courtesy of Liz Hearne.