Selfie Photo by Dana Dumon
Three high-spirited sisters are pictured in front of the new Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. From the left: Darcy Dumont, Dana DuMont and Beth Chaftez. They were part of the March on Washington the day after the presidential inauguration.
At 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 21, about 52 women and I boarded a bus at the Macy’s parking lot in Enfield heading for Washington, D.C., and the Women’s March on Washington for what was one of the most amazing experiences ever!
I was meeting my sisters at the march – Darcy, from Amherst, Mass., (who had gone early to visit her son who works in D.C.) and Dana, from Richmond, Va. We had planned our meeting place and time and were excited to see each other and join the many women and men who would come to protest what we believed were upcoming issues that affected women in particular and the nation in general.
Seven hours later at about 8:30 a.m., we arrived at RFK Stadium. The stadium had been designated as the location where buses for the march would park. When we arrived, there were approximately 150 buses already there. Our first problem to solve was to find a bathroom. Because our bus did not have a bathroom (who puts 53 women on a bus with no bathroom?) and because we had made only one stop on the way to Washington, five hours before, it was time to “go.”
Thankfully, nearby was a small line of what were a few of the many hundreds of port-a-potties we’d see during the day.
I’d pre-purchased a Metro pass (one of the many things that were suggested for people coming to Washington – like bring Lysol wipes and tissues for the port-a-potties – a very good idea!!) but I decided that since the Metro was crazy crowded even then, I’d walk. I had my map, and a two-mile walk is nothing big, so off I went. I’m so glad I chose to do that because about a mile from the rally site, walking through some pretty brownstone neighborhoods, I began to see people coming out of their houses with their pussy hats and signs, making their way to the rally. Soon there were streams of people, and it was thrilling to know that all these people had the same desire to be heard.
By the time I got to Independence Ave. and 3rd where the rally was to take place, the crowd was huge and getting bigger. It was time to go meet my sisters at our agreed upon meeting place. We had all arrived around 10 a.m., but weren’t able to find each other until 2 p.m. because of the crowds! (Thank goodness for cell phones or we probably never would have connected.) It was crazy – 500,000 people, women, men, young and old of all races and religions. A giant peaceful demonstration about what grassroots efforts can do in a short time. People were respectful of each other, friendly, courteous and above all engaged. It was thrilling and motivating. I met women who had come from Florida, California, Pennsylvania, D.C. and Tennessee.
We heard speakers like Gloria Steinem, Michael Moore, Madonna, Ashley Judd, the mayor of Washington, D.C., Van Jones of CNN, and many more, plus John Kerry walked right in front of me with people chanting “Kerry! Kerry!” as he passed by.
The hand-made signs were wonderful – so much creativity, humor, and passion. They spoke to women’s reproductive rights, climate change, the LBGT community, ACLU concerns, Native American rights and many other necessary and concerning issues on many of our minds.
As we headed toward RFK Stadium at the end of the day, I wasn’t prepared to see the ocean of buses that filled the parking lot – over 1500! Fortunately our bus captain had encouraged us all to wear a piece of duct tape with our bus number on it, so we could find it again! Leaving RFK Stadium at about 7 p.m., we arrived in Enfield at about 3:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. A long day, but oh, so satisfying. It only begins here. As people said there – this is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
Photo provived by the author
Beth and her sisters joined a crowd of thousands ralllying in support of various women’s issues. It was a memorable experience for all those who participated.