the #makelight project: the women's march

This Saturday, Marcus, Alex and I marched in the Women's March here in Houston.  

I've never marched before.  I'm not proud of this:  there are so many reasons in the past that I should've marched, but didn't.  I've been to vigils, I've been to celebrations -- but I've never marched.  But God knows, with the new administration taking aim at the press, bills being re-introduced proposing the US leave the United Nations, and an unapologetic bigot having the president's ear as Chief Strategist, it's time.

And so, I signed our family up to march.  Alex was actually nervous at first -- she's seen footage from the 60s and Ferguson, where dogs, tear gas and fire hoses tended to show up at "peaceful marches," but I assured her that I would never take her anywhere where I thought she would be at risk. (We still tied bandanas on our wrists to cover our noses and mouths, ineffective as they might be, just in case.)  And off we went.

I needn't have worried.  As you've all read by now, the millions of people who marched -- around the world, on every continent -- did so peacefully, in a spirit of love and solidarity.  People marched for different reasons:  for women's rights, LGBTQ rights, religious freedom, immigrants, refugees, you name it -- but all marched against discrimination in general, and it was a joy to behold.

Here are some of my favourite photos that I took at the Houston march.

And you can see the rest of my favourite photos here.

In related news:  I'm loving seeing all of your wonderful photos on our #MakeLight project -- images like this one and this one and this one.  Keep 'em coming, they're all so beautiful.  I hope that these photos inspire you to #makelight by taking a stand for something that means something to you -- by marching, or voting, or contributing to a cause that is close to your heart, but mostly, by using your gifts to change the world.  Because this is one of the most powerful ways we can make light.

 

Soundtrack:  I'm every woman, by Chaka Khan.  At the end of the walk, when the crowd arrived at City Hall, this was blaring over the loudspeakers.  Heck yeah.