Oak Park resident Rebeccah Willard said there was no way she could stay home for the Women’s March on Washington following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Willard and her twin daughters were among several hundred marchers waiting Friday afternoon at Austin Gardens for buses to drive them overnight to the nation’s capital for a protest primarily focused on gender equality and women’s access to reproductive healthcare that’s expected to draw thousands from around the country. The march participants were to spend Saturday in Washington, D.C., and return to Oak Park on an overnight bus that evening.
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The marchers were predominantly female, ranging in age from elementary school students to senior citizens. Some participants carried hand-made placards, and many wore knit caps topped with cat ears in varied shades of pink. The beanies are part of a grassroots campaign, which originated following Trump’s election and has since promoted wearing the caps as a symbol of solidarity among those protesting his presidency, rhetoric and policy proposals.
Several passing cars honked repeatedly in support of those waiting for their chance to march on Washington.
Willard’s daughter, Megan, a 13-year-old student at Oak Park’s Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, said she’s not a fan of the country’s new president, but “we’re trying to the see the positive side to it and do the march to show we care.”
Willard, 39, said it was deeply important to her to bring her children with her to the march to witness the historic event and demonstrate that they have a voice and can be part of a movement that supports women’s rights, and the rights of LGBT and immigrant communities, too.
Willard said “I honestly believe everything I care about is at stake” under a Trump presidency.
Annie Slivinski, a 59-year-old Forest Park resident and a special education teacher at Oak Park and River Forest High School, said she’s particularly concerned about the country’s youngest citizens and how a Trump administration will impact their access to education.
“They’re our future, and we have to fight for them,” she said, adding that she hoped the march would inspire others to make their voices heard about the issues dearest to them in a “peaceful, positive way.”
Annie was traveling with her sister, Lucy, a 58-year-old Chicago resident, and their 87-year-old mother, Helen, who resides in Oak Park.
Lucy said she’s afraid for what the next four years will bring, but she also believes that by doing something positive, like marching in solidarity with women and men who take issue with the beliefs and language espoused by our new president, will inspire change and “make things happen.”
“I realized I couldn’t just sit at home and read and watch it, I have to be out there doing something,” she said. “I think more people are thinking the same.”
Emily Burnett, a 29-year-old Westmont resident, said her emotional well-being suffered following Trump’s victory. She heard about the march and “felt it was one way I could validate my feelings with other people.”
Burnett’s friend, Marie Clarke-Doane, a 38-year-old Berwyn resident, said the protest is an opportunity for those ideologically aligned against Trump and the politics he stands for to demonstrate that “we’re still here, we’re not going away, we care about these things and we’re going to fight for them.”
Marching alongside thousands of like-minded individuals in the nation’s capital in defense of the rights of women, immigrants and members of the LGBT community will hopefully ensure their political agenda remains in the spotlight and at the forefront of elected officials’ minds, she said. Clarke-Doane said she hopes the march marks the beginning of many years to come of increased protests and demonstrations.
For Willard, the march is just one component of a longer-term political action plan.
“I have to be there, and I have to be making phone calls and writing letters and talking to people,” she said. “I have to do everything I can. I don’t want to look back and regret that I didn’t do more.”
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.