1-21-17 Marching in Seattle

Saturday morning John, Ryan and I dusted off our hiking boots and stepped out to join the 175,000 marchers in Seattle and 3 million marchers world-wide raising their voices in support of our rights, our safety, our families and our communities.

From the Womxn’s March Seattle page:

Washington State’s Mission

Our mission is to bring diverse women together for collective action. We are angry, sad, scared, and frustrated, but we are also hopeful that our love and power can overcome the challenges ahead. We are at the beginning of something momentous, but first and foremost, this is a continuation of the struggle that women of color, people of marginalized identities, sexualities, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences, have faced and have been fighting for decades. We are most powerful when united. Our mission is to support and amplify these voices on January 21, 2017, in our state and in Washington, DC. We hope you join this powerful new anti-racist, pro-woman collective force!

The National Mission

On January 21, 2017 we will unite in Washington, DC for the Women’s March on Washington. We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families — recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.

The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us–women, immigrants of all statuses, those with diverse religious faiths particularly Muslim, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native and Indigenous people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, the economically impoverished and survivors of sexual assault. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear.

In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.

We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society. We work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all. HEAR OUR VOICE.

This is an INCLUSIVE march, and EVERYONE who supports women’s rights are welcome.

The mood was peaceful but determined and I was happy to hear that zero arrests were reported after marches in all 50 states.  Truly a day to remember and a place for all of us to build from as we go forward.

 

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23 thoughts on “1-21-17 Marching in Seattle

    1. Thanks, Andrew! The organizers expected 30K so this was a lot more than they planned for but it sounds like that was the case across the country. Great news to hear your march in San Jose was well attended and it sounds like CA turned out an amazing number of people. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  1. Kudos to you and your family for attending – what a historic moment in time with so many people across the world united for the same cause. It was truly amazing to see the sheer numbers of supporters everywhere!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. We had a successful march in my small college town. At least a few hundred jammed the main streets and marched for human rights and the environment. It’s a joyful response to the horrific possibilities ahead. But we are strong with our voices of protest. Michael Moore had some great suggestions to keep the momentum going. If you want them, let me know.

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    1. Sure, Sally I’d like to read his suggestions. The marches were a good initial move and reminded participants that we are not alone but instead in the majority however momentum is everything now and it must continue.

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  3. Well done – and such a positive experience! I read in your comments that Michael Moore had some suggestions – would love to hear about them if possible!

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  4. […] The third week of January was a big one for us here as our country transitioned from President Barack Obama to Donald Trump.   While it’s clear that Trump lost the popular vote and the majority of the country remains firmly against his platform we are all waiting and watching, hoping for the best while planning for the worst.  As a result my week was spent focusing on things that matter to us while trying to dial down the digital information overload. I attended my first congressional office open  house to meet our new Representative Pramila Jayapal, Ryan and I set aside time to talk about Martin Luther King’s legacy and we had a great afternoon watching a matinée of Hidden Figures.  I shipped a basket to a new customer in Ireland and snapped a close up of a painting I walk past frequently then captured this one woman waiting and watching as Seattle Police prepared for an evening demonstration/protest against the Trump Administration.  Saturday morning John, Ryan and I joined the Seattle Women’s March and we added our voices and our feet to the more than 600 marches around the world.  If you’d like to see more pictures from the day please take a look at my post about Marching in Seattle. […]

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  5. I marched in Washington DC and on the bus back home, my seat mate and new friend showed me images from marches around the country and the world. There was such a sense of connection and solidarity. Let’s carry it forward and let it inform our political actions into the future. I loved the incredible creativity and diversity of interests and viewpoints expressed in those signs. We could have a permanent museum exhibit with those 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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