Organizers of the Women's March on Washington, held on January 21, report well over 500,000 people came to march, speak and make their voices heard, with additional solidarity marches held around the nation and the world. Along with the D.C. march, other marches saw numbers that were well above what organizers had estimated during the planning phase. The event in the nation's capital had planned for 250,000 people.
     A number of Washington County residents participated in the D.C. march or at solidarity marches held in Eastport, Lubec, Augusta and other cities.

Experiencing diversity and hope
     "I've never experienced anything like that in my life," says Leah McLean of Robbinston, who flew to Washington, D.C., with Catherine Lee of Eastport and Eastport native Susan Brown of Bangor. "We were there to stand for peace and justice for all, regardless of your political persuasion, gender, ethnicity, sexual identity or religious beliefs, and it was an amazing experience."
     Kathleen Dunbar of Perry went because, she says, "We have a president who does not respect women." As the president is most powerful man in the world, she is concerned about the impact this could have not just in her own country but internationally. Everyone, she notes, had their own reasons for being there, but it culminated in a shared day of hope and inspiration.
     The women‑led movement brought together people of all ages and genders, races, culture, political affiliations, disabilities and backgrounds to affirm their shared humanity and pronounce a message of resistance and self‑determination.
     "We saw everyone from toddlers to teenagers to multi‑generational families and, without exception, everyone was warm, friendly, positive and accommodating," Brown reports. "It was the honor of my life to be there with these supportive, uplifting women and men who wanted to stand up to the administration."
     "It was also the most diverse group of people I'd ever been in contact with," McLean adds. "They were there for women's issues, environmental issues, support for the LGBTQA rights, who had all come together to support human rights."
     Among the people participating in the Women's March were leaders of organizations and communities that have been building the foundation for social progress for generations, including civil rights, the feminist movement, the American Indian Movement, Occupy Wall Street, marriage equality and Black Lives Matter.
     "My experience was that people were there to show support for various issues and express their concern about losing ground in terms of women's rights, the environment, racial injustice, economic fairness and other progressive causes," says Gretchen Gordon of Pembroke, who attended the Women's March with two friends from college.
     "It's hard to find the words of how amazing the experience was," reports Eastport native Tara Kierstead of Hallowell, who travelled to the Women's March with her childhood friend Kathleen Dunbar and their former Shead English teacher EJ Hampson via bus from Augusta. The Hall‑Dale Middle and High School guidance counselor was marching "for my niece, who I can only hope when she is the age I am now that she doesn't have any reason to march; for my LGBTQA friends, family and students who have felt they don't have a voice in this country under the [new] administration, especially the youth who have been told by that administration that they would benefit from conversion therapy; for my own reproductive rights and for the right to own my own body, and for every one of my students because now, more than ever, we need to lift them up and give them hope and remind them every day that they were loved, they belong here and that they have a voice that they can and should use."

Uplifting message brought home
     Mainers with Washington County ties who attended the march all agreed how powerful they feel after attending the event and how uplifting it was to be among a crowd full of love, peace and understanding.
     "I have a lot of hope in the country after attending this," stresses McLean. "When we arrived on Friday during the inauguration, there were about 100 people at the Metro, mostly bikers for Trump. But the next day, the place was wall‑to‑wall people who were going to participate in the Women's March, and it was a perfect civics class example of democracy in action." She adds, "It was more wonderful than I'd ever imagined, and I had no idea on the impact it would have on me."
    "The people who had traveled so far to convey their message and be counted were quite serious in their intent, and everyone I talked with was focused on discussing Trump, his cabinet and the potential fallout from his policies," stresses Gordon. "The mood was positive and big‑hearted, and it was invigorating to be with hundreds of thousands of like-minded people -- and their hilarious signs."
     The Women's March organizers encouraged continued action beyond the march, stating, "Now is not the time to hand up our marching shoes. It's time to get our friends, families and community together and make history."
      "The message I've taken home with me from Washington, D.C., is to get involved in your local government," stresses Brown of Bangor, who was joined by daughter and son‑in‑law Heidi and Chris Hicks and their daughters Chandler and Camryn. "I would like to think that a torch has been lit and we're all carrying that flame of compassion and empathy and passing it on to our children and grandchildren."
      Dunbar was struck by the welcoming reception given to the marchers by neighborhood residents, the police and many churches that opened their doors for restrooms, warm dry resting space and more. She notes that while the two to three times the expected number of marchers meant that there was no room to move when in the crowd, a medical emergency crew was somehow given the room to do its work. She found the march to be the most important and empowering experience of her life. She was not expecting that it would have such an impact. "The men, women and children all coming together to celebrate human rights was such a positive experience," sums up Dunbar.

March in Eastport
     While about 10,000 Mainers, including some from Washington County, marched in Augusta on January 21, over 100 people from 13 communities walked in the march in Eastport, which started in front of the schools at 10 a.m. and ended at the Fish Pier parking lot. "I'd like to say thank you to everyone who participated," says organizer Barbara Smith. "We had 111 people and even a kid or two, so it seemed like the whole city was marching together as a family."
     "Everyone was very positive, and I'm thrilled that the children's theater folks cheered us on and the women at The Commons invited us in for hot drinks and snacks."
     After the D.C. march was announced, Smith and her friends, who walk daily, decided they should carry signs on January 21 in support of the Women's March on Washington. Then an out‑of‑town friend suggested the walk should be open to everyone, "and I said, 'Yes! That's a good idea.'"
     "When I mentioned it on Facebook, people were very positive, and it was shared 140 times," reports a happy Smith.
     "There was a place on the national Women's March website for us to register, so some people found out from that," she reports. "We used the logos from that website for our signs."
     One marcher from Whitneyville has contacted Smith after the event, "all fired up. She said we should do this on a regular basis."

Lubec participates in Women’s March
     Nearly 100 participants, including about a dozen men, gathered at Lubec’s Flatiron Corner in support of the Women's March on Washington. Carrying signs promoting inclusiveness and women's and minority rights, the group marched peacefully for an hour despite chilly conditions that left many with cold feet.
     "Why would I not be here?" asked Lubec resident Sara McConnell. "We've got to keep fighting the fight."
     "In all my life, this is the biggest pivot point ever," said Chris Crittenden. "Equality is failing."
     Trescott resident Bunny Richards was even more pointed in her reasons for being there -- "because I have nieces and sisters, and I believe in women's rights and don't want to see the clock turn back."
     The focus was on civility and equality, and there was very little talk of newly inaugurated President Donald Trump. While the poster that read "no groping" was perhaps the most obvious reference to pre-election rhetoric, others had statements saying "Fix our Voting System" and "The Future is Nasty."
     Many motorists passing by honked in support. The only sign of disagreement was heard from two pickup trucks that noisily spun their tires.