Saturday’s Women’s March in San Francisco saw 100,000 people gather from all walks of life marching in the rain for human rights, civil liberties and social justice for all.
And while the size of the crowd was thrilling, this was more than just a crowd—it was a collection of people, each of whom traveled to downtown San Francisco to patiently listen in the rain to speeches and songs before tramping through puddles from Civic Center to the Ferry Building.
These are people from the Women’s March and the words from the rallying speakers. They are more than just another face in the crowd.
“I am here because my mother carried me. Now we must carry each other.”
—Hung Liu, Women’s March, San Francisco
“We are committed to joining you to be a wall against hate, and we will legislate Trump the hell out of San Francisco! If Trump and the Republicans defund Planned Parenthood, six of us will vote to fill that gap. If Trump and the Republicans raid our homes searching for our undocumented brothers and sisters, we will fund legal services to defend you and keep you in your homes. This march is our promise. We are an army of love that is more powerful than hate.”
— Supervisor Jane Kim
“I admit to feeling fear, unease, not sure of what tomorrow will bring. But I will sleep a bit easier knowing — and I do know — that you have my back, just as I hope you know that I have your back. What makes America great is not how many weapons we possess or how much we produce in consumer goods, but the content of our character, the welcome we provide to the stranger and how we treat those who are the most downtrodden and marginalized.”
— Ameena Jandali
“Some of you are no doubt grieving right now, and grieving is important work. Some of us will grieve, but some of us will hope. Some of us will make the food. Some of us will raise the children, and some of us will teach the children. Some of us will negotiate in the boardroom, and some will argue in the courts, and some will fight fires and heal bodies. Some will compromise, and some will refuse to compromise. Some will make song and dance and poetry and tell stories, and draft legislation, and invent new technologies, and gather us together to pray! And gather us together to walk off the job! We will sit in silence! We will raise our voices in resistance!”
— Ruth McFarlane
“It’s hurtful to the entire message of the march if we are not being intersectional in practice and including women of color, trans women and immigrant women. The movement has to become more intersectional. And the march isn’t just for women and people who identify as women; it’s for men, too, and anyone who wants to stand up for communities and for human rights.”
— Angelica Vargas, interviewed before speaking at the Women’s March in San Francisco
“We need to be empathetic when there is no empathy. We need to be kind when kindness is not at the forefront. We need to be willing to fight for things people don’t talk about much.”
— Joan Baez
For those interested, you can find these images in gallery form here.
