Update. Ooblah.
So- the March for Women's Lives was on Sunday, and it was fucking amazing.
We got to D.C. on Saturday and, well, all I can really say is that I hate D.C. for the simple fact that streets randomly change into other streets. Like how Constitution randomly turns into 6th, or something. Grr. Anyway.
We stayed at the Washington Court Hotel, and I cannot even begin to explain how many people were there for the march. I couldn't go anywhere without seeing someone handing out pins, wearing bright pink tee-shirts, or making signs and pinning them to their luggage. Everyone I talked to started the conversation with, "Are you here for the rally?" or, "Is this the first time you've been to a rally here in Washington?" So my first day there was incredible enough. But, man. When we started walking to The Mall on Sunday, the streets were packed. We almost couldn't navigate because there were so many people around us.
Armed with nothing but our purses, we tried to stay together amidst people handing out MORE buttons and pins and banners. A group of guys came up to me and were all talking to me at once, like, "Here, have this button I made, I'm so glad you're here, it's great you take interest in this stuff, oh don't worry the pins are free." I was in awe. I mean, I had been to the Million Mom March, but that was when I was 12 or something. Didn't have nearly as much impact.
We finally got to the mall and even though it was only 10:30 (the actual rally had started at 10) there was hardly anywhere to sit. Hundreds of thousands of people were already lined up, signing the official sign-in and hundreds of thousands more were sitting on The Mall already, crowding in closer and closer to let more people sit.
When we first started to march it wasn't moving. There were too many people crowding the walkway that we couldn't move. When it finally got moving, though, it was amazing. Just- everyone had so much energy and you could tell that everyone truly wanted to be there (or if they didn't they were putting on a good face for family members' sakes). I was marching in front of these girls from Austria. Austria. They had come all that way... just for this. At one point in one of the speeches someone mentioned that there were over 55 nations represented at the march (which, by the way, was the largest march in history, or some such nonsense like that).
SO- after we marched and all that, it was time for all of the amazing speeches. I mean- Gloria Steinem, Carole King, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Madeline Albright, Ashley Judd, Camryn Manheim, that chick from MadTV, and SO many more. If Howard Dean was there, I didn't see him, and I was kind of pissed that I missed Hillary speak. BUT. I was there for Ani DiFranco, and it was so, so, so amazing.
When I left there were over a million people there and the volunteers were still counting.
AND: The obligatory SQUEEEE for all of the gorgeous people there. There were some of the most gorgeous women I've ever seen, simply because they were pretty in their own way. AND- I thought I saw Ani for a fleeting second, but then I lost whoever it was in the crowd and it made me sad. Plus- I saw a lot of pretty young boys there, just, like, in groups. Yeah. Much with the pretty.
But I met some of the greatest people ever, and it was an amazing weekend. I really wish that you all could have been there.
So, I texted back and forth with Mish on Sunday when she got back in the States. Much fun.
AND I might be IN STATE COLLEGE ON HER BIRTHDAY OH EM GEE SQUEE.
...And now I'm sunburned from the rally. So worth it, though.
And I don't know WHAT I was smoking on Friday night, but I was definitely on a high I couldn't come down from.
Uh. OH, I have a few extra buttons from the Rally if anyone wants one. Like, two or three. Tell me if you want one and I'll send it to you.
PS- WAH I WISH I HAD KNOWN ANI WAS GOING BECAUSE WE COULD HAVE MET WAH.
EDIT: Evidently I did know Ani was going, it just completely slipped my mind. Also.
OHMYGOD KERRY WAS THERE AND I DIDN'T KNOW HE WOULD BE THERE BAH. I SO wish I had stayed to see him speak. At least- the news channel just told me he was there. POO ON YOU, John Kerry. At least ANNOUNCE it if you're going to be there.
We got to D.C. on Saturday and, well, all I can really say is that I hate D.C. for the simple fact that streets randomly change into other streets. Like how Constitution randomly turns into 6th, or something. Grr. Anyway.
We stayed at the Washington Court Hotel, and I cannot even begin to explain how many people were there for the march. I couldn't go anywhere without seeing someone handing out pins, wearing bright pink tee-shirts, or making signs and pinning them to their luggage. Everyone I talked to started the conversation with, "Are you here for the rally?" or, "Is this the first time you've been to a rally here in Washington?" So my first day there was incredible enough. But, man. When we started walking to The Mall on Sunday, the streets were packed. We almost couldn't navigate because there were so many people around us.
Armed with nothing but our purses, we tried to stay together amidst people handing out MORE buttons and pins and banners. A group of guys came up to me and were all talking to me at once, like, "Here, have this button I made, I'm so glad you're here, it's great you take interest in this stuff, oh don't worry the pins are free." I was in awe. I mean, I had been to the Million Mom March, but that was when I was 12 or something. Didn't have nearly as much impact.
We finally got to the mall and even though it was only 10:30 (the actual rally had started at 10) there was hardly anywhere to sit. Hundreds of thousands of people were already lined up, signing the official sign-in and hundreds of thousands more were sitting on The Mall already, crowding in closer and closer to let more people sit.
When we first started to march it wasn't moving. There were too many people crowding the walkway that we couldn't move. When it finally got moving, though, it was amazing. Just- everyone had so much energy and you could tell that everyone truly wanted to be there (or if they didn't they were putting on a good face for family members' sakes). I was marching in front of these girls from Austria. Austria. They had come all that way... just for this. At one point in one of the speeches someone mentioned that there were over 55 nations represented at the march (which, by the way, was the largest march in history, or some such nonsense like that).
SO- after we marched and all that, it was time for all of the amazing speeches. I mean- Gloria Steinem, Carole King, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Madeline Albright, Ashley Judd, Camryn Manheim, that chick from MadTV, and SO many more. If Howard Dean was there, I didn't see him, and I was kind of pissed that I missed Hillary speak. BUT. I was there for Ani DiFranco, and it was so, so, so amazing.
When I left there were over a million people there and the volunteers were still counting.
AND: The obligatory SQUEEEE for all of the gorgeous people there. There were some of the most gorgeous women I've ever seen, simply because they were pretty in their own way. AND- I thought I saw Ani for a fleeting second, but then I lost whoever it was in the crowd and it made me sad. Plus- I saw a lot of pretty young boys there, just, like, in groups. Yeah. Much with the pretty.
But I met some of the greatest people ever, and it was an amazing weekend. I really wish that you all could have been there.
So, I texted back and forth with Mish on Sunday when she got back in the States. Much fun.
AND I might be IN STATE COLLEGE ON HER BIRTHDAY OH EM GEE SQUEE.
...And now I'm sunburned from the rally. So worth it, though.
And I don't know WHAT I was smoking on Friday night, but I was definitely on a high I couldn't come down from.
Uh. OH, I have a few extra buttons from the Rally if anyone wants one. Like, two or three. Tell me if you want one and I'll send it to you.
PS- WAH I WISH I HAD KNOWN ANI WAS GOING BECAUSE WE COULD HAVE MET WAH.
EDIT: Evidently I did know Ani was going, it just completely slipped my mind. Also.
OHMYGOD KERRY WAS THERE AND I DIDN'T KNOW HE WOULD BE THERE BAH. I SO wish I had stayed to see him speak. At least- the news channel just told me he was there. POO ON YOU, John Kerry. At least ANNOUNCE it if you're going to be there.