20 January 2019
The National Women’s March in San Diego, entering its third year, convened on Harbor Drive, Saturday 19 January 2019.
Originally conceived as a rebuttal to Trump’s inauguration, the marches and movement it awakened helped launch the so-called blue wave which brought more Democratic women to the US Congress than ever before.
Obviously, anger for Trump and his enablers remains high. The administration and its policies were ridiculed and satirized by speakers, in song and on homemade signage in the crowd (getting more and more creative … outstanding!). However, the event is evolving. As a friend at the League of Women Voters told me, “it’s starting to feel less like a protest and more like a festival.”
The tone and language of the invited speakers have changed. There’s more optimism and hope in the messages. Again and again, themes of inclusion, diversity, fulfillment and the value of kindness dominated speeches. There’s a sense of confidence. It’s almost palpable. You can see it in the faces. More smiles. Way more.
The event was well-attended. Nearly as many as last year, by my estimate. Local news say SDPD reported a crowd of 20,000. Nevertheless, security was mellow. Cops were relaxed and more unarmed, private security seemed to be used. Based on counting genders in crowd photos, I’m estimating women accounted for >70% of the participants.
I missed the actual marching part of the Women’s March this year because of some fun family obligations, but public venting and blocking traffic seems less important than it used to, anyway. The point, now, is to get to work.
Also on hand were women’s organizations distributing literature, registering voters and recruiting volunteers.
–Michael Lane
