Over a million citizens from around the world – both women and men – took to the streets on January 20th for the Women’s March of 2018. I was unable to photograph the march in Boston in 2017 due to a recent surgery so was eager to get out there and capture this historic day in NYC this year. It was a beautiful day indeed. I started my morning in the Bronx taking the 1 line down to the Upper West Side at 79th St. Before the train even arrived, I had meet a lovely group of protesters who immediately gave me one of their hand knit pink hats to wear for the day. (Thank you, Barb!) Once on the train I sat next to another interesting woman who was on her way to meet up with her friend and we talked about what the day meant while noting our similar backgrounds. I bid her farewell and headed up Columbus to enter the march at 71st. Here I met yet another friendly woman who was pushing her one year old son in his stroller. Her name was Abby and she had marched last year when he was only seven weeks old and she was recovering from the delivery by C-Section. She was planning to meet up at Columbus Circle with her husband and five year old son and told me about their march last year as a family together. Her oldest son this year had requested a black hat which she had knit the night before and was wearing as she then explained she was Muslim and had just applied for her Canadian citizenship where her Mom was from as a “backup plan.” As we walked up 71st, I lost Abby in the crowd focused primarily on documenting the day as the sea of endless signs and pink hats began to tighten and we came to a stop just before Central Park West. Everyone waited patiently over the next hour as people chatted with the stranger next to them and sporadic chanting burst out: “Tell me what democracy looks like! THIS is what democracy looks like!” The hour passed quickly and the police barricades were finally moved so we could round the corner and continue down to 6th Ave. Shout out to the NYPD who skillfully managed the flow and crowds perfectly. I was able to weave in and out along Central Park West and ventured off the main street down into the park where more people marched, walked and rested. The official end was just after the Fox News building at 43rd St and protesters where still coming down The Avenue of the Americas at 3:30PM as I wearily headed over to Grand Central to head back home. It was an exhausting but exhilarating day. The creative protest signs are always memorable but so too are the people that you meet and the smiles you exchange with your fellow human beings along the way. Here’s a few highlights from my view of the day.
The handful Pro Trump Supporters at Columbus Circle
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Timeline 1/23/18
