Yup. We were there with everyone else on Boston Common, for the rally and march on 21 January. I knit hats that travelled to DC and Kansas City, too. These photos were taken by Elder Daughter, who knows her way around a camera. Sadly there are none of her, because she spent the day behind rather than in front of the lens.
First my favorite marcher of the day:
We arrived early, around 10:00, and found the common already full.
Elder Daughter plus friends Christine and Matt and I found a place to stand at the rear center on a small rise – close enough to hear and see the large screen, but not the speakers themselves.
Christine and Matt made us a nifty banner:
The crowd was upbeat and considerate, supportive and non-confrontational. There were no vendors outside the Common hawking tatty merchandise. A few groups produced and carried similar signage, but the vast majority of hats, shirts, sashes, banners, and signs were home-made. Some were quite funny, others strident – but all were from the heart:
There were so many people packed onto the Common that it took us almost two hours to walk the 30 yards from where we were standing back to the street. We set out on the march route, in roughly the first quarter of the people walking, and noted that by the time we completed the circuit at 4:00, there were still crowds exiting the Common, just starting out.
Elder Daughter’s best shot of the day, taken mid-march. The route was lined with people cheering, some on balconies:
The carillon in the Baptist Church we passed rang out We Shall Overcome, and the national anthem. There were at least two walking groups that accompanied themselves with music – a group made up mostly of Revolutionary War era re-enactors who brought fife and drum, and marched in cadence, wearing proper attire behind their own Phrygian-capped Lady Liberty. There was another group with steel drums whose beat was a bit more syncopated, and whose spirit could not be denied.
Police presence was benevolent and in many cases, charming. We saw more than one officer assisting the disabled, or taking photos of marchers for them. Heavy sand spreaders, and DPW construction and sanitation trucks were used to block side streets. While any barrier would have kept the march on course, those massive trucks were there to protect us from vehicle attack, with their drivers putting themselves in potential danger. We on the route noted this, and share special thanks to all the public safety personnel.
At the end, back on the Garden and Common, many people left their signs along a fence:
I am proud to have been part of this, and note that it is just the first step.
Involvement does NOT end with this march.
String-Or-Nothing 
Such a proud day! We need to keep the momentum going. We have more power in the process than we think. And, your children will know that their mom made a difference. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve removed muself from your mailing list. Don’t need your political views delivered to my inbox.
So sorry to miss you. That sound I just heard must have been your mind snapping shut.
Thumbs up, Kim.
I was delighted to open this e-mail and rejoice at your participation. It was my first ever participation in such a demonstration; today I turn 71. My hats went to D.C. before I learned there would be a ‘sister march’ here in Montreal. I knit up more for here and will keep on making more for future assemblies, until I run out of pinks.
Thank you Jessica-Jean. Stay strong! Your efforts are much valued!
This is a blog mostly about needlework and knitting, with small side trips into my life. I follow the arts blogs of many people whose political views are not in synch with my own. Knowledge is knowledge, and sharing is valuable. I can respect their expertise without being in blanket agreement with every facet of their life. That someone is so blinkered that she cannot see beyond her own ideology makes me sad.
Best response ever!
And THANK YOU for marching! (I was unable to go, but I sent a dozen knitted pussyhats with my mother and her group, who did march.)
Thank you and your Elder Daughter for sharing.
Kim, I do not agree with your politics, but I respect your views. As I told my friends who were protesting the Viet Nam war back when I was in college, I recognize your right to protest as long as you recognize my right to protest you, and we are still BFFs. But please, give our new president a chance to accomplish what he claims he can accomplish. He can’t do it if Congress and the people are against him. You might benefit by taking a refresher course in History and googling the National Socialist Party and USSR. Remember, you can defeat an army, but you cannot defeat an idea.
Still waiting for the release of the Second Carolingian Modelbook! 🙂
p.s. Snarky comments like the one you made to Heidi shows that you are the one who’s mind has snapped shut.
Please do not lecture a Jewish girl who lost a significant part of her family during WWII on the rise of the Nazi party. I respect your views, but I have seen no actions or statements over the past 18 months that reveal any interest whatsoever for workers health and safety, women’s rights, continued world leadership, or the dignity and security of the rights of all Americans, regardless of country of origin, or faith. When I do, I will most certainly give credit and listen.
Did not realize you were Jewish, my maternal grandmothers family worked with the underground in Germany during the WWII. Grew up listening to one of my classmates accuse my family of being Nazi sympathizers simply because Grandma wrote to her relatives during the war, so I’m very aware of what the National Socialist Party is about and it’s activities here in the USA. What many women do not realize is that many laws protecting women are already on the books, Obama did nothing to ensure their enforcement during his presidency. IMHO, he has done more to divide this country in the past eight years, and undermine the effectiveness of the police force. There have been more police officers killed in the line of duty than the number of black citizens killed by police officers. My nephew is an officer in GA, and he posts memorials to officers killed on his Facebook page almost every day, a fact that the news never reports.
Let’s just agree to disagree with each other, okay?
How is work on The Second Carolingian Modelbook progressing? I’m absolutely blown away by the amount of needlework you get done! I’m plagued by “Oh look, there’s a new chart/yarn/kit!” and have to drag it home and start it.
One measure of the strength of a democracy is the extent to which it facilitates diversity and discussion. Good on you for marching, although I suspect the only turnout that could make a difference is at the ballot box.