I Marched
I said I wasn’t sure if I would, but I did, and…
I’m so happy I did.
I took the path into midtown Manhattan Saturday afternoon to meet up with my friends at Grand Central. We walked from 42nd St to 55th St (we were stopped short of Trump Tower; I’m unsure why) to music and chanting alongside women and men of all ages, colors, religions, backgrounds. The cops smiled as they moved us (slowly) along. It was calm, peaceful, and inspiring.
Afterwards, we got some food at a Mexican restaurant on the west side. At the end of our meal, the manager came up to us to offer us 10% off our check. “Business tonight has been crazy,” he told us. “The one good thing Trump caused was this protest.” We talked a little more about the state of our nation and the manager expressed his fear of the fact that Trump is now president. “I’m from Mexico,” he went on. “But I’m also American. And I’m not a rapist.”
The fact that he felt the need to clarify that is one of the reasons #whyImarch.
I remain frightened for the future of our country. But Saturday gave me a little hope. At the march, I saw the America I know, the one I will continue to fight for, and I was reminded that though they currently have more power than us, we the people who oppose Trump outnumber the people who support him.
WE are what makes America great. Love trumps hate.
That’s great that you marched! And I’m glad you had a good experience. I marched in DC, and I am so glad I did. Same here as NYC–it was calm, peaceful, and inspiring. We ended up going to the Museum for Women in the Arts, and they had set up a “cafe” with free tea, coffee, water, and juice. I thanked the manager, and she said, “This is like a national holiday for us.” The staff there was so nice and thanking us marchers as we walked in.
I have to admit, I was pleasantly baffled by the amount of folks that came out.
Imagine how it must feel to be Trump right now. How does one sleep with himself?
I don’t understand how one can spend one’s days actively making other people’s lives worse and then go to sleep at night. I don’t understand it at all.
I have had to rationalize this for myself:
a) he must be totally convinced that he’s in the right. I bet he’s surrounded by yes men.
b) his priorities are warped – he thinks money/profits take precedence over people/lives/environment.
Not to talk to much politics but lets take a look at the Muslim countries he’s banned… purely political reasons. If these were genuine safety concerns the first name on that list would have been Afghanistan. I’m all for stricter laws for refugees or anyone who wants to come into the country – but lets base this restrictions on facts not whimsical political agendas.
And don’t get me started on the pipeline. 🙁
On a lighter note, whachoo reading these days?
I just started reading Great Small Things by Jodi Picolt
Yeah. I don’t understand how people can be so callous and harmful towards others. All I can figure is some birth defect which left him with a total lack of empathy.
I’m reading VE Schwab’s Darker Shade of Magic Series! It’s really good, though the second book started off a little slow, it’s starting to pick up. I have actually only ever read one Jodi Picolt and didn’t like it–should I give her another chance?
Great post, and I loved hearing about your experience with the march!
I had a similar experience. Wasn’t sure I was going to march, but did, in Seattle. So glad I got out there! I just blogged about it, if you want to read more.
Awesome! I’ll check it out
We marched in DC. Having a tough day today… online reading some like minded blogs to stay sane! <3 https://goldisfromaliens.com/2017/02/17/we-both-wear-spanx-and-other-things-i-have-in-common-with-donald-trump/