Just 1 of 500,000 at the Women’s March on Washington

Have you ever marched for a cause?

For many women at the Women’s March on Washington on Saturday, January 21, it was their first protest or march. For others, like me, it was one of many on a long list of protests. And it was absolutely overwhelming in scope.

I traveled to DC on a bus from Judson Church with my mom, my friend Elizabeth (see more of our protesting together here), members of the Judson congregation, and many new faces. Our bus loaded at 5:30a, and we were on the road to DC by 6a.

We got off our bus at close to 11:15a and walked to the closest spot we could find to the march route start. By 4:15p we finally made it to the actual route but had to turn around to get back to our bus.

There were just that many people standing, marching, and making it known that we will not allow women’s rights to be stripped away without a fight.

Women’s March on Washington (c) Lulu Fogarty @thewokevillager

I’m in awe of how many women of all ages turned out for this incredible march.

And two weeks later, I’m still processing the day. The air felt positive, hopeful and powerfully charged. Even a soldier who was stationed along our walk to the march commented that our general vibe was so much better than that surrounding the inauguration the day before. ( I mean.. DUH! 🙂 )

Women’s March on Washington (c) Lulu Fogarty @thewokevillager

I’m proud to be a part of such a strong resistance movement!

I hope with my full-body that we can keep and gain momentum in the face of the freedoms and human rights being trampled by Trump and his administration each and every day. I listen to the news with hesitancy and trepidation and just feel wiped.

I’ve been hearing so much about self-care these days. It seems obvious why. We’re all feeling it in some way.

Let’s not forget that we can be active in the resistance even if we can’t physically be a body in the street. Some people emotionally can’t handle large crowds. Others physically can’t march due to injury or illness.

Whether you can physically participate at a protest or not, you can take action. And there’s no time to lose. What issue are you most passionate about? Women’s reproductive rights? Health care? Climate change? Immigrant rights? LGBTQ rights? Racial justice?

Connect with the organizations that you align with. Go ahead, do a Google search. I’ll wait. Find out how you can volunteer. Are they participating in any phone banking campaigns?

Call your senators and congresspeople and tell them what you expect from them.

Write an Op-Ed to your local paper. Write a poem, make a dance, write a play, write a poem, make a vlog, create art and share it. It All Matters!

Find a postcard writing party or host your own!