Election Reflection: Women Don’t Forget

They were sitting in their cars in the commuter lot at Cherry Hill Road in Branford in what for many would be the middle of the night. It was chilly and a light rain was falling.

They hoped they would make an impact in taking a bus to the nation’s capitol to attend the Women’s March. Little did they know they would be making history. As Gloria Steinem, honorary chairwoman of the march later told the demonstrators, ​“Sometimes we must put our bodies where our beliefs are.” Thousands of demonstrators from Connecticut attended the Washington, D.C. rally. Here is the CT Mirror’s report. 

Waiting for the Bus in Branford

The bus that left from Branford early Saturday morning for the Women’s March on Washington was one of 80 from Connecticut, and 1,800 from across the country; countless more people flew in, took the trains, took the Metro, or drove.

Elssa Green (pictured) of Guilford was waiting for the bus to arrive with her husband, Richard. ​“It all comes down to the fact that people are not willing to be ignored, which would be really easy to have happen,” she told the Eagle. For her women’s health and reproductive rights were most important but there were many other issues as well. ​“That’s why there are so many people coming.”

Maura Lane of Branford said, ​“I think the main reason, just to have a sense of community and feel like we’re all together and feel some hope.” Issues that are important to her include women’s rights, Planned Parenthood, and cutting funding for women who can’t afford healthcare otherwise.

Lane returned to Branford around 3 a.m. Sunday morning. ​“It was amazing but clearly they were not prepared for the number of women (and men) there. One of the rest stops finally gave up and converted one of the men’s rooms to ladies.”

Trump Spotted

As it turned out President Trump was closer to the Women’s march than previously known. Branford’s Alpha Coiro managed to get a photograph of the presidential motorcade as it passed by the protestors. 

“As we were making our approach back to the Farragut North Metro station, the throngs were suddenly stopped by DC police where they put up yellow tape,” she told the Eagle. ​“One of the officers then told us that there was a presidential motorcade, which was going to pass. As I was in the front, I was able to get a photo of his limo. If you look closely, you can see that signature hair. He did not exit the vehicle or address the crowd.” Trump was apparently returning from CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. on Saturday where he attempted to deliver a conciliatory message to the agency. Coiro said the photo was corroborated by police.

Coiro, shown at the march with her friends said, ​“The city was absolutely packed with humanity in the Metro stations, parade route, public restrooms, and food services area not only within Washington, D.C. but in Maryland. There was an intense sense of unity expressing concerns about the potential devaluation of women and our existing rights and dignity. There was also a strong stand for LGBTQ rights.” She added that she met folks from California, Chicago, the Midwest and Maryland.

“It was an exhilarating, empowering, and exhausting day and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!” Coiro said.

The March in NYC

Sally Monaghan of Branford attended the march in New York City along with 400,000 other people. She said there was standing room only on the train by the Milford station and people were unable to board by Stamford. ​“It was peaceful and happy,” she said. ​“People had an amazing variety of signs, including one that said, ​‘My great grandmother marched for suffrage. My mother marched for contraceptives. I’m marching for women’s rights.’”

She added that there were a lot of men, people of all ages, kids on shoulders holding signs and in strollers. She said one of the most moving moments was when the carillon at St. Thomas Church on 5th Avenue started playing ​“This Land is Your Land.”

And, like Maura Lane, Monaghan said men’s restrooms were turned into women’s restrooms. 

The Women’s March on Washington was the premiere event, but it was just one of 670 events held worldwide on seven continents. It’s estimated that 500,000 took part in Washington (march organizers cite 750,000); locally, marches were held in New Haven, Hartford and Stamford. Close to 3,000,000 participated within the US (ironically about the number of popular votes Clinton won over Trump) and almost 250,000 internationally. The Women’s march was the biggest protest march in history. The D.C. event was held a day after the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump

Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed a proclamation declaring Saturday, January 21, 2017, to be Women’s March on Washington Day in the State of Connecticut in recognition of the hundreds of thousands of people from across the country who will be traveling to the nation’s capital to participate in a peaceful demonstration in support of the protection of the rights, safety, and health of people and families across the country. He delivered the proclamation at the Hartford rally.

All seven continents were represented, including Antarctica.

On the surface the march was a response to the electoral college election of Donald Trump, but soon it grew into a show of solidarity for human rights as espoused by Hillary Clinton (and echoed by US Rep. Rosa DeLauro), ​“Women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights.” Here DeLauro gets her pink hat.

The Clergy Attends

The Rev. Sharon Gracen of Trinity Church on the Green in Branford and her husband Peter Schuller left Friday for Washington, D.C. They took the train from New Haven. On her Facebook page, she wrote, ​“Lots of people with signs. One woman said her daughter in D.C. asked her to bring poster board as there is none left in Washington. Lots of purple — the official Connecticut color.”

Once in D.C. she wrote on Facebook that the Metro was jammed. ​“Pink hats everywhere. Lots of joy.” At the mall, the crowds were ​“amazing,” she said.

Beth Rosen, her husband John Buell and her daughter Joelle Rosen-Buell left Westville for D.C. ​“It was amazing, huge turnout, feeling the power of protest. This is what democracy looks like!” she said, calling the protests and the marches all over the country and the world, ​“a massive movement!”

A Family Hits the Highway for D.C. 

Local artist Joyce Greenfield knew early on that she had to be in D.C. She and her daughters, Kristin Alexander and Heidi Rogers, along with friend Linda Briggs hit the road with Joyce driving. The traffic was heavy, but no one was complaining, she wrote.

At the Metro, women attending the march were allowed to board for free, but there were so many people trying to get on the trains they were only allowed to board in increments. ​“Very exciting,” she said.

At the mall, speakers were assembled. The crowd was huge. ​“You just can’t move. Fabulous! … It is beyond all expectations. Perhaps there is hope,” Greenfield wrote.

The marches around the country and abroad may well usher in a new era of protest as demonstrators voiced their concerns about a number of issues they believe President Donald Trump wants to undo. There were reminders of history, too.

At every march there were a sea of pink pussy hats. The hats emerged after a 2005 Trump recording became public during the presidential campaign in which Trump said he could ​“grab women by the pussy.” Every since the pussy hat has become a symbol to ​“grab back” and keep what women have spent decades fighting for.

Many of the protestors had been in this place before, to express their views on wars, civil rights, women’s rights. Filmmaker Michael Moore was one of the leaders. He told folks to go to his Facebook page for action points.

The speakers were great, Greenfield wrote, and there was ​“great camaraderie.” But there may have been too many speakers. People wanted to march, she said. There were chants of ​“march, march, march!” Because the huge turnout, the route had to altered. Not everyone got to march.

There were signs everywhere. Greenfield’s daughter, Kristin, described one of their favorite signs:“I Can’t Believe I’m Still protesting this Crap!”

Here’s another.

By 4:30 p.m. the family and friends were ready to call it a day. ​“All done and done. Worth it all,” they declared.

Not to forget the words of feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who gave a powerful speech at the march, concluding, ​“This is a day that will change us forever because we are together. Each of us individually and collectively will never be the same again…. Make sure you introduce yourselves to each other and decide what we’re going to do tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, and remember that we’re never turning back!”

Marcia Chambers contributed reporting for this story.

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