The Women’s March 2020

Mother Nature did not smile on the women’s march, held on January 18, 2020. Rain, sleet and snow covered most of the country. While some marches were canceled due to snow, tens of thousands turned out in 200 cities to march and rally around the theme of Women Rising.

Roughly 20,000 people marched in Washington DC for the fourth time. Despite the poor weather forecast, they came from hundred’s of miles away. Others planned to come, but changed their minds when the roads became icy.

In DC, nothing happened as planned. At a press conference held in Freedom Plaza the day before, reporters were told that there would be no pre-march rally. Instead the march would leave at 11:00, march around the Ellipse and the White House, and end where it began in Freedom Plaza.

For two hours people gathered in Freedom Plaza.

The march finally stepped off at noon.

March organizers wanted to focus on issues such as immigration, climate change and reproductive rights.

However, anyone who brought signs or banners could raise any issue. Most were homemade. Only some came off of a printing press.

These letters spell out FREE WOMEN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN TURKEY

The Equal Rights Amendment, recently passed by the Virginia legislature, drew lots of support.

Political themes were prominent.

Anti-Trump sentiments were pervasive.

So was women power.

Supporters of only three of the Presidential candidates carried signs.

Anti-war sentiments was another unplanned theme. CodePink, the women’s anti-war group, greeted the march with shouts of “No War.” Marchers responded with the same shout.

The march stopped on H St. at 16^th St. long enough for a Chilean feminist collective to perform before most people dispersed into Lafayette Park.

Where they posed for photo ops with the White House in the background.

And put their signs into the fence around a statue of Andrew Jackson.

The rest marched past Freedom Plaza to the Trump Hotel for one last jeer.

Copyright © 2020 Jo Freeman