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Gallery|Women

Washington DC: Women’s March for equal rights

‘I came to show solidarity with women and all the other people who resist the bigotry and … intolerance.’

Women''s March in Washington
Protesters make their way down Pennsylvania Avenue, originally not part of the route. Numbers exceeded the expected 200,000, making a single route to the White House impossible. [Kelly Lynn Lunde/Al Jazeera]
By Kelly Lynn Lunde
Published On 22 Jan 2017

Washington DC – The US capital saw half a million protesters on Saturday following President Trump’s inauguration join the Women’s March on Washington. Locals and visitors alike saturated city streets chanting “Welcome to your first day – we will not go away” and other slogans in numbers that forced the route to change from its planned path. The march organisers had originally applied for a 200,000-people permit, but said nearly half a million attended the march.

The mission statement and core values of the Women’s March evolved as the date drew near with the help of grassroots input and a dynamic group of conference organisers to centre on intersectional feminism, and include in their call “Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, black and brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault”.

Anna Szymczak, 29, from Chicago, spoke for what many of those marching felt. Walking past the Trump Hotel and making an obscene gesture, she said: “I came to show solidarity with women and all the other people who resist the bigotry and the intolerance that the Trump administration represents.

“… I think solidarity and letting people know, letting the administration and the politicians know that we’re watching, that we’re going to hold them accountable and that when it comes time for the revolution we will come out.”

READ MORE: Women’s March on Washington draws massive crowds

Women''s March in Washington
Eight-year-old Nickawa Walker takes a break with her mother on Pennsylvania Avenue. 'I'm here to fight Donald Trump. He's evil and he's mean to everybody, everybody in the world,' she said. Nicky, 34, said it was her daughter's first protest. 'I just wanted her to be involved and know what is going on. It's our job to let our future generation know how to speak up for themselves.' [Kelly Lynn Lunde/Al Jazeera]
Women''s March in Washington
The day’s programme began at 10am with the march starting at around 2pm. [Kelly Lynn Lunde/ Al Jazeera]
Women''s March in Washington
Owen Warmuth, 18, from Boone, North Carolina, convinced his mother to join him after deciding to attend in support of his friends. 'The recent agenda of Trump hits home for me as a diabetic. Affordable premiums are definitely going to affect me later in life and due to pre-existing conditions, if my insurance was shut down I could easily be having to pay out of pocket costs for equipment just to keep myself alive.' [Kelly Lynn Lunde/Al Jazeera]
Women''s March in Washington
Marti Simmons, 26, drove eight hours from Charleston, South Carolina, with her 19-month-old daughter Josephine, her mother, right, and her cousin. 'I came because of my child. It's crazy that we have to fight for this. We depend on Planned Parenthood for our healthcare. I take her every month.  I hope he listens and wakes up and this actually affects things.' [Kelly Lynn Lunde/Al Jazeera]
Women''s March in Washington
Women chant shortly before reaching the White House, many wearing pink which became the unofficial colour of the march. [Kelly Lynn Lunde/Al Jazeera]
Women''s March in Washington
Danya Chowdhury, 19, from Maryland, Ashna Mahmud, 18, and Nazifa Mahmud, 15, both from Bangladesh, and Huma Chowdhury, 17, and Ruqayyah Khan, 19, both from Maryland, are friends and cousins. 'I feel like since we've been here, we've met so many people that are kind to us and who actually are [against] Islamophobia.  We don't normally see that.  Like when we're walking down the street sometimes people just stare,' said Ruqayyah. [Kelly Lynn Lunde/Al Jazeera]
Women''s March in Washington
Protesters gather on The Ellipse, between the Washington Monument and the White House, after the end of the march, leaving thousands of signs along the fences. [Kelly Lynn Lunde/ Al Jazeera]
Women''s March in Washington
A 32-year-old Jewish/Chinese disabled lawyer from Baltimore, who asked to remain anonymous, holds her sign near the White House at dusk. 'I came because I'm a socialist and I'm pretty horrified at what's happening. I thought it was really important that he knows, and that other people know, there are people like me out here.' Despite working for the federal government, she works two other jobs to afford living in the city and repay student loans. [Kelly Lynn Lunde/Al Jazeera]
Women''s March in Washington
Protesters chant towards the White House at the end of the day, having made it the largest inaugural protest in US history. [Kelly Lynn Lunde/Al Jazeera]