Of the hundreds of nationally recognized women’s marches that occurred on Saturday, almost all of them stayed within the confines of one town.
Not on Martha’s Vineyard.
In past years, the Island iteration of the nation-wide event, beginning in 2017 on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration, has been more of a gathering at Five Corners than a march. This year was a bit different. The 50 or so participants, decked out in pink and purple, marched all the way from Vineyard Haven to Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs, braving blistering conditions to support women’s rights.
“While the women’s march two years ago was all about Trump, today is not about Trump,” said organizer Carla Cooper. “It is about what we have been able to accomplish in spite of him...During the last two years, we organized, we rallied, we voted, we laughed, we cried, and we drank a lot of wine. We watched women run for office and get elected to a record number of offices, and won back the House of Representatives. But our work is far from over.”
Along the nearly three-mile route marchers crammed between narrow sidewalks to have their voices and their message heard. Signs read, “Have you made peace today?” Others promised justice. Drivers honked their horns in support of the marchers.
Mauri Cooper traveled all the way from Buffalo, N.Y. for the march.
“Well, we came to see friends, but this too,” she said. “We were in D.C.... and this is much better.”
Cathy Carlson, who splits time between Boulder, Col. and the Vineyard, said she had attended women’s marches the past two years. She wore a sash from the 2017 march in Denver.
“It’s women and men turning out for women,” she said. “And that part is more important now than ever.”
Walking next to her was Jen Russell, a newcomer to the Vineyard who wasn’t sure if she was going to make it to the march.
“I just moved here and didn’t want to go alone,” she said. “But there’s no better way to make friends.”
Ms. Carlson smiled in agreement.
Other marchers brought their four-legged allies to the event.
“I thought I could kill two birds with one stone,” newly-elected county commissioner Keith Chatinover said, as his dog Gracie walked beside him. Lizzie Schule and her mom, Eileen Walsh, knitted a purple scarf for their dog, Riley. When Riley squatted by the roadside for a momentary pause in the action, Ms. Schule thought that, too, was a form of protest.
“It’s her way of speaking out,” she joked.
Third-grader Elysia Brown Savastano came with her mom Pamela from Dartmouth for the march.
“They didn’t have one in Providence, so we came here,” her mom said. “We wanted to march, to be a part of something. And it keeps the blood flowing.”
“I think we’ll be back,” Elysia said.
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