Thousands of people of all ages, races and genders poured into Civic Center park Saturday morning for Denver’s 2018 Women’s March, propelled by a year of social and political tumult that many of them hope to calm at the ballot box.
“We are here to make sure that our voices are heard, and to make sure that we stand up for those who are not being represented in Washington today,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said, issuing a rallying cry to women wearing knitted pink caps and men flying signs reading “Men of quality don’t fear equality” and “Thanks Trump: You’ve turned my kids into activists.”
“I am honored to do this with you, to march with you today,” Hancock said. “Today we march for our sister, mothers, grandmothers, and yes, for our sons. We march for the underserved and for justice for all, for human rights and equal rights. We also march for those who marched before us, so we have the right to march today. And we thank them.”
“To be clear today, we are going to keep resisting and we are going to vote,” he said, the crowd erupting in cheers when he yelled “ARE YOU READY?”
And they were. Rallying for clean water and environmental protections, immigration reform and health care rights, as they marched past the State Capitol and back into the park. Some carried signs advocating against the death penalty, abortion and assisted suicide. They chanted and cheered and, in the most Colorado diss ever, called out both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for skiing in jeans.
Waves of cheers rose from the march as it made its way around the Colorado Capitol and back to the park. A chant of “hey hey ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go” started at the back, rolling toward to the front before it crashed into a chant of “this is what democracy looks like” that was reverberating to the back.
People stood on the sidewalk, holding signs, grabbing pictures or sipping on their morning coffees. Drummers protesting war played on one corner and a man dressed as Captain America stood on another. Later down the route, people stopped to listen as a group of women sang “I Can’t Keep Quiet,” the Women’s March anthem.
Denver 14-year-olds Hope Bristow, Beatriz Bicudo and Alice Larm convinced their parents to let them march on their own and then stayed up until 3 a.m. working on their signs — “How I dress does not define me,” “Other girls are not my competition. I stand with them, not against them,” and “Our bodies, our minds, our power.”
“The fight for women’s equality is real,” Hope said.
The fight for equality also set Denver friends Denise Archuleta, 53, and Frances Rossi, 75, on their march Saturday. They were first-timers to the Denver Women’s March.
“I’m here because this administration is toxic. Women are treated as less than equal by the Trump administration,” Archuleta said. “I’m pro-life for the whole life — not just at conception.”
She said the government needs to “provide more resources to prevent poverty and violence against women.”
Rossi, added “we support women in all stages of life from conception to natural death. We need to do everything we can to promote the safety of all human beings at all stages of life. That means health care and promoting world peace.”
Ana Schultz, 63, participated in the Denver Women’s March last year, and then participated in six more protests. The Greeley woman, who moved to the U.S. 45 years ago, was at first afraid to protest because in her home country of Guatemala, she would not be allowed to speak against the government.
“I feel a powerful force, a collective one, there are thousands of people here,” Shultz said. “This country represents great opportunity for me, and I feel this feeling is in danger because of how the administration is handling everything.”
“Before the elections I understood that Trump is very similar to what I lived through when I was growing up in Guatemala because they are both dictatorial,” she said.
Launie Parry, a graphic designer from Fort Collins, used the same sign she made for last year’s march listing all the reasons why she is marched Saturday, including equality, Planned Parenthood and hope.
“It’s not about getting rid of Trump,” Parry said, “it’s about standing up for what you believe in.”
L. Glenise Pike, from Denver, marched silently, carrying a sign that read “Here to defend black women.”
Pike said she marched to “disrupt the narrative.”
“The struggle of black women can get lost in conversation of feminism,” she said. “My intention with my sign is to catch people’s eye, I’m here specifically to represent black women and be bold about it.”
Amanda Brinton, too, said the movement must advocate for all people.
“This is not just a white women’s movement. We have to stand in solidarity with the many people that are not just rich white men, who have not been given equal rights, opportunities, housing, and jobs,” said Brinton, who lives in Denver. “It’s about how important it is that everyone has a story and these stories can inspire us to fight for change.”
Jessica Chick walked hand-in-hand with her fiancé, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech blaring from a speaker in his backpack. “The main reason I am here is to not feel alone in the struggle,” she said. “Everyone out here has a story and people are more willing to speak the truth.”
Brady Rowland, a 13-year-old feminist from Lakeside, marched with her dad. She marched last year, too. She held a sign that at one side said “Trump’s a s**thole” and “Girls just want to have funding for Planned Parenthood.”
Her dad Jason Rowland said he tries to avoid shaping her beliefs but added, “I wasn’t so sure about one side of the sign so much.”
Brady said many kids at school don’t understand feminism so it was exciting to be around thousands of women who held similar beliefs. She keeps up to date with the news on social media, although not Twitter because it became too much, and through her social studies class.
“Everyone is so politically incorrect,” she said. “I get picked on for having my views. They all have the same thoughts, they just all don’t want to stand up and rock the boat. They just all want to be the same.”
Similar marches, which coincide with the anniversary of Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017, were taking place across the country.
Last year, more than 100,000 people took over Civic Center park and downtown Denver. While organizers anticipated as many as 200,000 participants this year in the permit request filed with Denver Parks and Recreation, the march was closer to 50,000 according to a crowd estimation tool.
“Today’s march is smaller than last year’s but the great thing is that you realize you are not alone,” said Doug Welch, 67, of Denver. “It’s nice to see a couple of your thousand closest friends to agree with you.
Welch said he was activated after Trump was elected. “We thought voting was enough, but this last election showed us that it’s not,” he said. “I’ve joined campaigns, volunteered in campaigns; you can’t stay at home anymore.”
The spectre of potential of violence was evident, with SWAT officers surveying the crowd from the roof of a building near the park. Last year, during a political demonstration in Charlottesville, Va., people were injured during a brawl with counterprotesters and woman was killed when a man drove a car into the crowd.
