JACKSON, WY— The crowd was smaller, but the message was essentially the same: better together.
“Democracy is like love. It is a noun and a verb,” Kirsten Goldman Taerea shouted at a crowd of roughly 100 people at the Home Ranch Lot. Democracy, like love, she explained, requires constant work and engagement.
Taerea is a member of JH Activate and an organizer of Jackson’s third annual Women’s March that took place on the Town Square January 19.
Taerea praised members of the crowd for their “longevity and tenacity” over the past two years. “We won’t give up on each other,” she said.
The third iteration of the women’s march was smaller in size than the previous two—an estimated 100 people showed up this year compared to last year’s 400, and 2017’s 1,000. But plenty also felt the same. Like last year, this march happened in the midst of a government shutdown—this one the longest in U.S. history. The route was the same: participants marched from the Home Ranch Lot, down Willow, to Simpson, and finally to Cache, where they poured into the Southwest entrance of the town square, signs in tow.
People also cited similar reasons for marching as in previous years: women’s rights. Climate change. Equal representation in government — though that was one area many felt hopeful about, citing the newly-elected congress members as the most representative in history.
“But it’s still not enough,” said Alyssa Friedman. “No one is equal until everyone is equal.”
Eleven-year-old Jack Dillon carried a sign with the non-binary flag painted on one side—yellow, white, purple, and black—and the words “Respect existence or expect resistance” painted on the other. Jack identifies as non-binary—so, they don’t fit neatly within the labels of “male” or “female.”
“People still don’t respect non-binary existence,” Jack said. Until they do, Jack will continue to march for respect and recognition.
Jack’s sister Lucy was marching too, alongside her friend Lexi Higgins. Both 12 years old and in seventh grade, they said they march for women’s rights and equality.
“People treat girls like objects and toys,” Higgins said. She cited objectifying dress codes and harmful stereotypes as examples of things that continue to hold girls back. Boys, meanwhile, “can do whatever they want.” Even in seventh grade, Higgins and Lucy both said they see examples of sexism all the time.
While the march has become largely recognized as resistance against the Trump administration and current policies, not everyone at today’s march shared the same agenda. A few passersby expressed admiration for Trump: “we’ve got a wall to build!” one said.
“Trump is the best president of my lifetime,” another man chanted as he made his way through the crowd.
One lone woman, Katherine Rueckert, stayed put on the corner of the square carrying an American flag and a Trump/Pence sign, and wearing her “Make America Great Again” hat on her hip.
“I heard there was a women’s march. I’m a woman,” Rueckert said. And she’s a woman who believes in Trump.
“I’ve been on the Trump train from day one,” she said.
But Rueckert said she was encouraged by what she found at the Women’s March. Her policy views may differ from most of the people around her—she supports the wall, and the government shutdown, she said. Still, she felt welcomed at the march.
“The water’s fine!” Rueckert said. “We can find common ground anywhere … People can be civilized. We can think differently, and still stand side-by-side.”
Co-organizer Chrissy Koriakin said she was kind of surprised by the turnout, and energized by it. After two years, she didn’t expect too many people to show up.
“It gives me chills,” she said. “People are sticking with it.”
That show of solidarity is exactly the point, Taerea said. “It’s easy to get frustrated by the daily news cycle in our own home.” But “it’s heartening to come together. We’re stronger together.”
