At 2.6 million strong, Women's Marches crush expectations

WASHINGTON — More than 2 million people across the world, led by hundreds of thousands who overwhelmed the nation's capital, protested the first full day of President Trump's tenure Saturday.

What began as a Facebook post by a Hawaii grandmother the day after Hillary Clinton's loss in November's election  blossomed into a massive protest uniting people of all ages, races and religions who crowded downtown Washington. They called for a "revolution" as a bulwark against  the new administration and the Republican-led Congress they fear will roll back reproductive, civil and human rights.

A five-hour rally featured speakers ranging from Ilyasah Shabazz, a daughter of Malcom X, to Sister Simone Campbell, a Catholic nun, and the music superstar Madonna. People arrived in buses or flew across country from locales as far as California to bring the main arteries of downtown Washington to a near standstill. While the event's organizers sought to highlight many concerns, including climate change and criminal justice reform, the speakers were united in imploring the crowd to begin taking action by donating to progressive causes and even running for public office once they return home.

"Once it happens in a generation that a spirit of resistance is awakened," said Rabbi Sharon Brous. "This is one of those moments. Our children will one day ask us ‘where were you when our country was thrust into a lion’s den of demagoguery and division,'" she said.

"The revolution starts here," said Madonna. "It is the beginning of much-needed change," but, "change that will require sacrifice, people, change that will require many of us to make different choices in our lives. But this is the hallmark of revolution. So my question to you today is, are you ready?" said Madonna, before entertaining the crowd with her 1988 hit song "Express Yourself."

According to a sister march webpage, an estimated 2.6 million people took part in 673 marches in all 50 states and 32 countries, from Belarus to New Zealand — with the largest taking place in Washington.

The crowds were so large in some cities that marching was almost impossible. In Chicago, organizers halted the march and rallied at Grant Park instead as crowds swelled to 150,000, although thousands still marched. In New York City, the number was 400,000, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio; in Boston, media reported more than 100,000 people marching in Boston Common. In Oakland, Calif., police estimated that about 60,000 people took part in the women's march. Local media reports said that San Francisco’s rally later in the day may have attracted as many as 100,000.

It was the first time Kristen Phillip of San Mateo, Calif. had attended a march. "I'm 44 and I've never done anything like this but I feel compelled to be here," she said. She brought her 24-year old daughter Claire who said the San Francisco rally made her feel "powerful and hopeful." "It makes me feel that we can get through this, if we love each other and don't let them divide us," she said.

Peter Monks of San Francisco, who attended with his wife and daughters, said he was showing support for women's issues "to a president who doesn't seem to recognize or care about them."

"As a white guy, it's easy to take privilege for granted," Monks said. "It feels really important to stand up for civil society when powerful voices are lined up against it."

In D.C., the huge crowds come a day after empty space was spotted on the National Mall ahead of Trump's inauguration speech and bare bleachers were noticeable along the inaugural parade route.

"When you go back home, remember how you felt, that instant, that gut, that said 'I gotta get on a bus, a train a plane," said Tamika Mallory, a civil rights activist and march co-chair. "Be bold in the way you were bold to come here in such large numbers,"  Mallory. said

"It’s about you going home after today and standing up and fighting in our communities," said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. "Take it home."

"This is an outpouring of energy and true democracy like I have never seen in my very long life," said feminist icon Gloria Steinem.

On Saturday morning, a DC official said, according to organizers, the turnout estimate had grown to 500,000 — more than double the 200,000 people that organizers initially expected to attend. Given the turnout, the march will probably take its place among historic demonstrations — including the 1963 civil rights demonstrations and the Vietnam War protests of 1967.

Attendees weren't organized by a single group. They came on their own, many aboard overnight charter buses, for what Crystal Hoyt, an associate dean at the University of Richmond, called "one of the largest and most significant demonstrations for social justice in America’s 240-year history."

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Hillary Clinton, who loss to Trump helped inspire the march, weighed in via Twitter before the event. "Thanks for standing, speaking and marching our values," she wrote.

The Washington subway system was jammed Saturday morning with women wearing pink-themed clothing and trading stories about overnight bus rides. Overflowing Metro passenger trains passed platforms crowded with more people who were unable to board. The crowds of women and men of all ages stand in contrast to the protesters around the inaugural, who were mostly young people.

The women had diverse concerns about Trump.

“There’s a lot of people who care about the lies he’s told,” said Laurie Gentry, a 60-year-old who took an overnight bus from Greenville, S.C. She cited climate change, education and marriage equality.

Friday night, a packed 56-passenger bus departed from Louisville, Ky., ferrying women ranging in age from 7 to 80 years old.

"This election was the first time I really felt like something in me was awakened and stirred," said Robin Weiss, a 45-year-old mother of nine accompanied by her 16-year-old daughter. "This was the first time it really felt like I had nothing," she said. "I'm showing my daughter I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is," said Weiss.

"I‘m aghast, and it obviously prompted me to get myself up and get to Washington. I’m not just doing it for myself but I’m doing it for my daughters and granddaughters," said Wendy Hames, a 67-year-old retired school teacher who took a sleeping pill to weather the overnight haul.

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The marches' many partners represent a range of causes, including the environment and criminal justice among them. Organizers represent all 50 states, and groups including the ACLU, Amnesty International, EMILY’s List, Muslim Women’s Alliance, Planned Parenthood, and United We Dream.

Aside from the new president's ability to appoint Supreme Court justices who could seek to overturn the decision in 1973 that established a woman’s right to abortion, Roe v Wade, marchers see other things that could happen more immediately. This includes Congress rolling back funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides free breast cancer screening and health services. U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has vowed to cut the group's funding as part of repealing Obamacare. The same could well happen with contraception coverage provided under the Affordable Care Act, as well as access to mammograms with no co-pay or deductible. Since more women receive Medicare than men, changes to the program would disproportionately hurt them.

"We’re here today to thank generations of organizers and trouble makers and hell raisers who formed secret sisterhoods and demanded the right to control their own bodies," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood. "We’re not going to take this lying down," she said.

A day after the march, a number of groups, including Planned Parenthood and EMILY’s List, are holding workshops designed to enlist women for more civic participation back home, including running for office.

"If you don’t speak, ain’t nobody gonna speak on behalf of you," said Carmen Perez, an event co-chair. "There’s an entry point for all of us to get involved in this movement," she said. "We will not adjust to hatred and bigotry. We will resist Islamophobia, xenophobia, white supremacy, sexism, racism, misogyny.”

Contributing: Fredreka Schouten, Eliza Collins, Dustin Racioppi of the Bergen Record, Elizabeth Weise