Quite a few members of our class participated in the Women’s Marches throughout the country. I’ve collected photographs and comments from some who marched, and I hope that more of you will send in your photos and comments. (AKW)
Jean Angelilli Mahoney: “For the longest while I’ve been concerned that our daughters didn’t know enough about the women’s movement. Well, now they do.
The torch has been passed—or is in the process, anyway!”
Pat Kennedy Ascher: “My heart was there, but the March here was on a cold, very rainy night. So I wimped out… My contribution has been to work all month on
Planned Parenthood’s Northern California dinner.
Katie Frum Buttenwieser: “I went to the march in Boston with a group that was put together by a friend in Cambridge, and was proud to be part of the spirited, but not unruly group of 175,000 of all ages, and many men. I have no photos of myself and could barely raise my camera to take photos, as we were packed in like sardines, and I mainly saw the backs of other people’s heads. I’m sure that there were many MHC’ers there, perhaps some from our class. It was exhilarating, and we were
blessed with warm weather. I think we’re all wondering, “Now what?” but I hope
that these voices from all over the world will be heard in Washington, in spite of our
President’s efforts to suppress the information about the sizes of the crowds.”
Gretchen Hall: “I was in Philly and the occasion was friendly, good-spirited, diverse with LOTS of younger adults and, yes, males…families, etc. etc. There were some incredibly clever signs.
My daughter Rachel marched in Buenos Aires (!) in front of the embassy; my sisters-in-
law also marched, one in Boston and one in Montreal; granddaughter Olivia
marched in DC with three McGill roommates—a long trip!
Here in PA there is a brand-new organization called Tuesdays with Toomey, in
which this senator’s staff receives a group of visitors at each of his offices around the state. Each week the group goes prepared to lobby on a particular issue with a
designated spokesperson and so on… I will continue with my phone calls, letter
writing, etc.”
Willie Hann Young: “Dick and I were part of the thousands who took over DC on Saturday, mashed together on the Mall. Signs, chants, people crush, and overall jubilation marked the day, as people of all stripes joined in. The March (or crush in place) was the perfect antidote to the gloom I felt on Inauguration Day. It was thrilling to see women (and men) of all colors, religions, sexual orientations, and differing views on abortion march together to advocate for peace, respect,
inclusiveness, education and economic well-being.”
J.J. Johnson Spencer: “(Below) is a photo of me, sans make-up as we left the house in a big hurry, only to wait an hour for the march to begin. There were 100,000 in the Denver march, much more than expected, thus the delays! Oh, and I sewed five ‘Pink Pussy hats’ for our family who were in the march.”
Photos from J.J.: “One of me with the sign I carried, one with me, daughter Sally, and grandson Jackson (12 years old!), and an aerial view of the Denver march.
Judy Rogers Vicary: “I too was a ‘walker’ (not a protester as some pundits said) but someone who was standing UP FOR Women’s Rights and Human Rights, and all that means for our world! I walked in Sarasota on a beautiful day—2 ½ miles uphill twice, over the bridge and back, 3 hours total of climbing, standing and waving to the hundreds of cars that went by, giving us all the high sign with horns honking!
The posters were awesome, the people even more-so—and no trouble, either. What
a mix of people, though.
Now—what do we each do tomorrow and the days after to hold our ‘elected’
accountable? There are many organizations and websites with suggestions and
participation opportunities. Most of all, do good—every action counts.”
(And Judy’s 12 year old granddaughter marched in DC!)
Sally Bever Zweibach: “Here I am, crushed by NYC happy crowds. Going forward, I joined the “10 Actions for the First 100 Days” group. Check out website womensmarch.com/100 HERE. It springs from “Hear Our Voice”, and provides forms for simple, steady protest actions. I’m hosting a party to start it off, but you can do it alone. This has spread across the country. If Yale can have its own website for the 10/100, we can surely get on board. Marching and clicking ‘Send’ is not enough.
Peace!”
Heidi Keller Moon: Here’s a photo of me with sister Jamestown activists at the Rhode Island rally. Notice the RI State House reflected in the glass of the building behind us.
During the rally a ‘tween girl came up to me and asked to take a picture of me in my
sash. Hopefully, she wasn’t thinking that I wore that sash in the days of the
Suffragettes! Actually, I wore it as part of a costume that I attended as Suffragist
Alice Paul.
And, by the way, my Massachusetts son took his 17 year old daughter and her friend
to DC. They flew from Boston at 5:30 am and were back home in Middleton at 1:00
am. He’s the only one of my children who didn’t march with me in DC in the ‘70’s
and ‘80’s. Not to be outdone by his siblings, he made it happen for the next
generation. I’m so proud of him. And based on the sign he’s holding, I’m happy to
assume that at least a touch of my feminism rubbed off on him.”
Ann Kingman Williams: I participated in my FIRST such gathering, in Augusta Maine. It was exhilarating to be among people of all ages, female and male, all gearing up
for an ongoing push for standing up for Human Rights. And that’s really what it’s all
about.
