Womxn's March Seattle
Yesterday, over 100,000 women, men, and children of all ages, beliefs, orientations, religions, nationalities, and ethnicities peacefully flooded the streets of downtown Seattle. Wow.
My friend Sydney and I waited at a bus to head downtown, but after three full busses of pink hats passed us, we hopped in her car to drive instead. We surprisingly zoomed downtown, parking by the city Target for $7 which was a huge contrast to the $100+ Uber surcharge that had been happening earlier in the day to Judkins Park where the march was starting.
Once downtown, we met up with another group of friends by Westlake Center which was full of music and other marchers. After the police were cheered on by the crowd as they blocked the roads to traffic, we could begin seeing the beginning of the march approach us. Fourth Avenue is a bit sloped, so as the marchers came downhill, we could see the beginning of something so massive.
We waited for probably 45 minutes watching hilarious (and moving) signs pass us, until my mom and aunt who had joined the march further up passed us. We joined the masses who were all quietly talking amongst each other. The march was supposed to be a silent march, and it really was. Every so often "the wave" would be started behind us, and the noise wall would come barreling through the city block toward us and then pass us as soon as it came. It was pretty cool.
Here were quotes from some of my favorite signs:
- We shall overcomb
- You're so vain you probably think this march is about you
- Ok ladies now let's get in formation
- ...and countless explicit ones, mostly held by elderly women
We marched to Seattle Center which took a bit over an hour. Sydney had some other appointments later that afternoon, so once we hit Seattle Center, we started heading back, making a pit stop at Top Pot for a chocolate old fashioned and iced americano. As we walked back to Westlake, the march was still heading north in full force with no end in sight. This would've been about three hours from when the march left Judkins Park, so there was certainly a lot more of the march left.
Later that night, articles started popping up showcasing marches from all over the world (NYTimes article here). I had such a positive, empowering experience during the march, with everyone (well maybe not everyone, but the vast majority) being in such a united, collective uplifting mood. I can only imagine what the other nasty women around the globe are feeling, and I hope this is only the beginning.
