Up early and out the door by 7:30 AM, after a couple of pictures for posterity (Sharon, Cathryn, and Lynn in one, and Sharon, Cathryn, and me in the other). We stopped at the local Safeway (saw some marchers there!) to grab something to take for lunch, and Lynn graciously drove us to the metro station. I should mention that her station is the end of the line, so here we were pretty sure we’d get a seat. But I don’t think we were prepared for all the people thronging the station that early. It was a very encouraging sight!

We had not been sure what to expect in terms of numbers. The last we heard, they were expecting between 150,000 and 200,000 people, but you never know until you get there, do you? And it’s hard to imagine what that number means in terms of actual crowds, but the station swimming in a sea of pink and the seats on the train being mostly full were good harbingers of things to come.

The atmosphere was convivial and joyous. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was friendly and we talked to each other like we’d known one another forever. As we picked more and more people up at each station, we just made room and talked–and acted–like friends; supporting each other in the standing room only conditions.

When we go to our stop (Union Station), we headed toward the starting point–3rd and Independence. Mostly we were just following others who were walking in the same direction. For a little while, I walked beside an older woman who appeared to be alone and was walking in a very determined manner. She said her name was Nana, and that she was 76 years old and this was the first time she’d marched. She said there was no way she was going to miss this event! She was kind, and proud, enough to pose for a picture.

All day, people were carrying all manner of signs–absolutely fabulous signs. I’ve included a sampling below, but there were so many good ones I could have filled up my camera with them all.

It was obvious that many different interests were represented in this march, but I felt all of those interests were complementary. It was a really harmonious group. While we were in opposition to the current political administration, we were united in saying we support those who have been marginalized for too long by governmental action. We said we’re tired of being ignored and passed over, and we’re going to be sure lawmakers hear us!

One interesting picture you’ll see below is of two guys in black coats. They caught my eye as we were all walking, because they seemed to out of place. Their expressions were grim, their whole demeanor seemed severe. One had a camera, a professional setup, and then I saw that the other was carrying a microphone down tight at his side. It was FOX News! I tapped him on the shoulder and asked if I could take his picture with his mircophone. He said yes. While still holding the microphone a bit low, he looked my way and tried to give a small smile. I took that as a sign of good will, if a bit awkward. I got the cameraman in the shot, too. I’m not sure what became of them in the crowd. I didn’t see them again, but I’m glad I got that shot. I do wonder what kind of story they filed!

We got directed down another street because the crowds in front of the stage were so large. So we walked around a building and found a spot near Independence and 7th Street. Here we pretty much stayed for five or so hours. We were there by 10 AM when the program started and listened to the speeches. We couldn’t see the stage, but there were large speaker stands and podiums with Jumbotron TVs on them at each block down Independence. It was so crowded that we couldn’t really see the screen, but we could hear very well.

America Ferrera started things off and many, many people followed. Gloria Steinem gave a great speech, as did Michael Moore and Ashley Judd. And there were a lot of people whose names I didn’t recognize. The speakers were all really good; but after several hours the crowd got very restless, wanting to move…to march! (And honestly, the issues discussed were getting very repetitive.)

What we didn’t know was that the crowds had gotten so big, pretty much the entire marching route was taken up with people just standing! We expected to march by 1 PM, but that time came and went with no movement. After 2 PM, a steady stream of people were moving past us, away from the stage area. An announcement was made that when it was time to march, they wanted everyone to move down the numbered streets to the parade route and join it there, so that was our general plan.

When it got to be between 3 and 4 PM, however, we decided to head out, too, to see if we could maybe find an area to march ourselves. But just as we made that decision, the flow stopped–there just wasn’t anywhere for people to move!

A way finally opened up and we were able to walk down 7th at a snail’s pace. We heard later that there were so many people there, they decided to open up Pennsylvania Avenue for the march instead of the original plan of going down Constitution. That may have been when we were able to move.

At one point on our journey down 7th, we saw some policemen. I should mention that there were very few police there, and they weren’t mingling with the crowd at all. They just let us do our thing. They were there in case of trouble, I guess, but there just wasn’t any trouble! I mentioned to the one group we saw that I thought they were being very patient. One officer said, “You guys are doing great.” That was nice.

Anyway, it was about 5 PM by this time, and we opted to head back to the metro, knowing it would be at least 45 minutes more travel time for us once we managed to get on a rail car. So that’s what we did. We only had to wait about 15 minutes for a car. We had to stand, though, and bodies were packed very tight. I got a picture a couple of stations later when it thinned out a little, but you can see how crowded it was. I asked a resident if she’d ever seen the metro this busy, and she said, “Never.”

I contacted a friend I knew was going to be marching in Boston. The cell service was minimal, even non-existent at times, so we didn’t really communicate until we were almost to the metro. Anyway, she said that Boston had 125,000 people and she’d heard that DC had a million. Not sure how trustworthy that number is, but there were many, many more people than they expected. I haven’t heard too much on the news channels yet, but it’ll be interesting to hear the estimates (and sources of those estimates). A quick view on the news indicates that not only the DC but also all the sites–even around the world–were very successful. Wonderful!

As before, on the way back the mood was one of a group coming together for a common purpose, and appreciating each other for doing do. There were many different purposes, but one overarching message. We’re here; we’re watching; and we’re acting. There will be no free ride for legislative or executive actions that attempt to roll back the gains of the last eight years. Ethics matter; morals matter; caring for our neighbor matters. We all gain when we take care of each other.

On this basis there’s hope, and on this basis, we will overcome.

(Tonight it’s late, and I’m headed for bed! I’m looking forward to attending church in the morning.)