The hats and color were the symbols of unity. Your signs were the big beautiful surprise.
You brought tens of thousands of unique signs to the #WomxnsMarchSeattle on Saturday, with messages that intersected and reflected, but were never the same.
America is a messy, curious place, constantly embracing new ideas and people and ways of being. At our proudest moments we listen carefully, shift our thinking, and may respectfully agree to disagree. It is the narrow, incurious, rigid worldview in the other Washington now that has us confused, angry, and frightened.
Our signs in Seattle were glorious reflections of America. From complex ideas, to a heartfelt “LOVE EACH OTHER”, we found cardboard, markers, and glue sticks, and poured out our hopes and fears.
Then we spent the day bravely showing our deeply held values to friends and thousands of strangers. You committed to your ideas and ideals, with every line you colored in. You wrote your vows to America and to Seattle.
The time you took to write and illustrate your signs are the march’s defining gift and power, amplified by people on our Seattle #WomensMarch of between 130,000 and 175,000 people, who packed three-and-a-half miles of city streets.
You saw how more than 100,000 diverse and complex ideas can move as one.
And about those hats. Did your friend knit 23 and give you one? Did you pull out knitting needles or your sewing kit for the first time in decades? Go to the march with a group wearing matching hats you bought on-line? Decide pink was not your color but wore a pink scarf or no pink at all?
You made a decision about a color, an identity, a group you belong to, that you may have reinforced over and over again, with each row of knit over purl.
The hats and color were your symbols of unity. Your signs were the big beautiful surprise.
Thank you, Seattle. I love you America. Let’s keep marching forward with all of our messy, complex, intersectional ideas. That’s who we are.
What was your sign? What were some of your favorite signs? I’d love to see them!
The Urbanist encourages dialogue on important urban issues through guest contributions. Over the years, we've had dozens of guest authors share their opinions and insights ranging from commentary on current events to community interviews and researched think pieces. If you would like to see your name behind a byline on The Urbanist, feel free to reach out to our Editorial Team at editorial[at]theurbanist[dot]org.
