Over one million, in over 600 sites across our planet, gathered on Saturday, January 21st 2017. The masses demonstrated in the streets.  Many of the people were on the streets for the first time, having never taken up a cause in such a public way.  It was the “whose who” of everyday citizens: workers including executives, electricians, builders, architects, bus drivers, Uber drivers, pilots, cashiers, retirees and the unemployed…people of all colors, ethnicities, beliefs, political agendas and points of view. 

They carried signs with short messages:  We are the People, Peace and Unity, Healthcare is Human Right, Justice for all, We March for Unity, Equal Rights = Human Rights, Disability Rights are Civil Rights, Save the Whales, Love Not Hate makes America Great, I March for Immigrants Rights, Respect All – Air, Earth, Water, Animals... , Power to the People, No Hate, No Fear, and Everyone Welcome Here.

And the majority of the marchers were women.  In addition, there were also some pointed messages aimed directly at the newly elected president of the United States.  The press has billed these demonstrations as “anti-Trump” and certainly this was a large part of the purpose.  Yet I believe this is the start of a new era, a true change in the United States, and thankfully it is coming from the matriarch not from the Trump administration, which represents the state of the current, shaky patriarchy.

2017 is exciting, terrifying, and hopeful.  Stay tuned.