1.18.25: People's March

A friend and I took a bus from New York City to D.C. for the very first Women’s March in January 2017. It was just a day trip—we left from 42nd Street at 3 am and began the return trip around 6 pm. We were in a crowd so densely packed that by the time our section actually started “marching” we had to break off and head back to catch our bus. I had little concept of where I was the entire day, and even looking back at my photos after living in D.C. for five years I can’t exactly orient myself.

8 years—and countless marches later—I photographed the rebranded People’s March and below is just a small slice of what I saw on the Saturday before inauguration day in Washington, D.C.

I love this person’s whole vibe: the handwritten sign (double-sided is the way to go!), the bright pink gloves, mask, smiley face hat, and shirt that says “discomfort.” I know it’s superficial and beyond the point to focus on looks in Trump’s America, but compassionate, intelligent, interesting, cool people are just so much hotter than your standard MAGA.

People are so creative! I’ve seen this guy in his patriot outfit and paper mache toilet before. It’s a great visual and it’s fun to photograph people like this who are clearly there to be seen—I like the toilet paper and the real handle. A+

I love a petty slogan as much as I love an eloquent one. “Trump you’re tacky and we hate you,” made me laugh.

Carrying a sign and an iced beverage—trust women to do it all!

I told this woman that I was from Ohio and I agreed with, and appreciated, her sign.

“When will I be mine?” really gutted me. What a sign! I got unexpectedly emotional at this march, despite my ever-shifting views on their efficacy in affecting real change. Don’t hate on the people out there marching or making pithy signs or puss hats; they are not your enemy!

The people in power are! And so are your neighbors or uncles or husbands or grandmothers who voted for a ra(c)pist with mythical powers to lower egg prices. You know who isn’t your enemy? The trans person using a bathroom or an immigrant doing what’s best for their family or a person with a body making their own decisions about what that body endures. How do you reconcile two ideologies where one believes everyone matters and the other thinks almost no one does.

This person was so proud of their outfit, and I love this energy.

What we mean when we say “not all, but most men,” here are three examples of how to be an ally.

This person was so cute twirling two flags: a pride flag and one with a picture of Princess Leia that says “We are the Resistance.” They did an entire Little-Edie-esque flag dance for me, and it’s one of the rare times I wish I were taking video instead of stills.