Huge Women’s March in New York City

A larger than expected crowd estimated at 400,000 jammed midtown on Saturday as they wound their way along 42nd Street and up to Trump Tower to participate in NYC’s Women’s March. New Yorkers found a way, through one of the city’s largest peaceful demonstrations, to make their diverse voices heard.

A flotilla of pink hats in an ocean of women, men, children and – this is New York – celebrities turned out.  Despite the morning chill, the vibe was warm and welcoming. The mood was upbeat. Camaraderie reigned. The event was exhilarating and, for some, reminiscent of the early days of the feminist movement in the 1970s.

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Whoopie Goldberg in Pink Hat

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Little Girl in Pink Hat

Rosie Perez, feisty, as always, welcomed a host of prominent people to the podium, including: Katherine Siemionko, who launched The Women’s March in New York; Cynthia Nixon and, from across the pond, Dame Helen Mirren, who took the subway to the March and declared, echoing JFK, “Today, I am a New Yorker.”

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Rosie Perez

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Katherine Siemionko

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Cynthia Nixon

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Helen Mirren

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Chirlane McCray

Also gathered near the United Nations, where the March started,  were Chirlane McCray, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s eloquent wife, State Senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Liz Krueger, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, as well as Congresswomen Carolyn Maloney and Nita Lowey.

What were marchers demonstrating for? Reproductive rights, Planned Parenthood, climate change, human rights, women’s rights, LGBT rights, gay rights, the planet’s rights, black rights, immigration rights, and healthcare rights. Handmade signs – funny, witty, heartfelt – abounded.

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After the shocking defeat of Hillary Clinton, which left so many New Yorkers – and Americans – feeling powerless, women across the planet provided the first opportunity for voters to rally and renew their commitment to activism. A sleeping giant has been roused. Let’s hope it continues to shout and holler and – in 2018 — to vote.

All photos Eleanor Foa Dienstag

About Eleanor Foa Dienstag (36 Articles)
Eleanor Foa Dienstag is a veteran author, journalist, photo-journalist and award-winning corporate writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Harper's, the New Republic, the New York Observer, Ms., Travel & Leisure, and many other websites and publications. Eleanor is the author of three books. Her most recent, available on Amazon and Centro Primo Levi is MIXED MESSAGES: Reflections on an Italian Jewish Family and Exile. It is a multi-layered memoir about Eleanor’s personal journey, her father’s exile from Fascist Italy and the Foa Family journey, whose Italian-Jewish roots go back to the 1500s in northern Italy where her ancestors were famous printers. WHITHER THOU GOEST: The Story of an Uprooted Wife, also a memoir, was acclaimed by Business Week for its insights into corporate life. Her third book, In Good Company: 125 Years At The Heinz Table, offered a unique view of a quintessential American company. Eleanor served as staff speechwriter to the Chairman and CEO of American Express. In 1983, she founded Eleanor Foa Associates (www.eleanorfoa.com). It provides a wide variety of corporate writing and marketing services. Eleanor is past president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), received speechwriting awards from IABC, and was awarded literary residencies at Yaddo, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA). She resides in Manhattan.