Friday night my kids and I made the three hour trek to Davis to hang with a good friend and her kids. These kids were in play groups together back in the day and even though Carol moved away to Davis, we still keep in touch and get them together. Another friend from my early Greenville days moved to Sacramento–about 3 miles from where the Women’s March was starting on Saturday morning.
So after a somewhat harrowing drive in California’s storm season, including snow and a downed tree and a three hour drive….
We got to Davis. The kids took off to their rooms to hang the way tweens/early teens do. I got busy assessing the hat situation. Carol bought a pussy purse! Which I now have because she’s a good friend and loves me for some inexplicable reason.
At first the kids weren’t overly enthusiastic. It’s been a hard election everywhere but as we are in that red pocket low on education corner of California where it’s both beautiful and lethal it’s been really hard. Especially on my kids and especially on my daughter. She goes to school each day dreading a couple of kids who taunt her Mexican heritage and for not being Christian. And believe me a non-Christian kid who was taught about the beauty and love of Jesus Christ does not get how Christians can be into Trump. I can’t explain it to her. I just say they probably aren’t aware of their own bible and tradition. ANYHOW. The march immediately made her feel less alone. Her two friends live in more progressive areas now so they weren’t as downtrodden but they were amazed and felt the power of the march.
My daughter and the other girls loved the creativeness and the brashness of the signs. They immediately took out their phones to record them.
ANd so we marched. We marched for REspect. Reproductive Rights. We marched for Trump’s victims of sexual assault. We marched for arts and humanities and education about to be cut. We marched for Education. We marched for rerorductive health. We walked to protest
Organizers said there were supposed to be about 8K people and it was more like 20K–now I’m hearing of totals more towards 30K. I’d believe it. We were packed like sardines but happy all the same.
State Controller Betty Yee lead us in an Oath on the state capitol steps to swear to protect and defend each other in these dark times. Warm and fuzzy day–even in the bitter cold weather.
It was a great day!
Throwing Chanclas 
I was unable to march for health reasons, but rest assured I was with you in spirit. Thank you, and your girls, for standing up against tyranny.
What was reportedly expected to be around 300 grew to 2000 here in Syracuse NY, another pocket if poor and poorly managed schools. First “make a difference march” I had been in since Roe v Wade in the 70s. Spectacularly unifying as we are a refugee resettlement community.
As a 60 year old, seeing young women wearing “Rosie the Rivetor” outfits was in part funny, but also heartening to see that this generation understand a little about what MY parents went through