WASHINGTON -- One day after Donald Trump gave his inaugural address, a busload of Arkansas women traveled to the nation's capital and delivered a message of their own.
RELATED ARTICLES
http://www.arkansas…">Streets brim with protesters http://www.arkansas…">Trump assures CIA of support http://www.arkansas…">New U.S. leader draws range of world reactionshttp://www.arkansas…">Indianans hope for Pence's help http://www.arkansas…">Trump comments taint case, Bergdahl says http://www.arkansas…">4,000 join march at state Capitol http://www.arkansas…">Inauguration notebook http://www.arkansas…">Springdale pastor speaks at Trump prayer service
The 51 women and three men who made the 1,000-mile journey joined with hundreds of thousands of other Americans in raising their voices and clogging the heart of downtown Washington, D.C.
"It was absolutely overwhelming and amazing: the sheer numbers," said Laura Rasmussen, the 47-year-old Ash Flat woman who helped organize the trip.
She carried a sign with the message: "My Body, My Choice."
[TRUMP: inauguration, photos, videos and more]
The Arkansas activists had been warned that they might be confronted by counterprotesters, but the run-ins never happened.
"We weren't engaged. We weren't taunted. We didn't hear any negativity. We just marched," Rasmussen said.
They couldn't go fast, and they didn't go far. The streets were jammed, and, at times, the Arkansans could barely move.
"We were shoulder to shoulder. ... I don't think I ever could imagine that it would be this many people here," said Machell Dailey of Little Rock.
The 42-year-old woman carried a sign that read: "We the People Means All of Us."
"As an African-American woman I just thought it would be important to be here to express my rights and to fight for them and just make my voice heard," she said.
Any worries dissipated as the day progressed.
"There was not any drama or trouble like I think some may have expected. Everybody was peaceful. Everybody was unified, and it was just an amazing experience," she said.
Originally, the women anticipated marching north and west, from the National Air and Space Museum to the White House. But with those streets and sidewalks nearly impassible, they ended up marching east, past the U.S. Capitol and Library of Congress toward Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, where their chartered bus was parked.
Cailey Bauer walked with them, carrying a blue, purple, pink, green and red sign that said: "Every generation has an obligation to women's liberation."
The 26-year-old Huntsville woman traveled to Washington, she said, "to stand up for voices that can't be heard, like my grandmother's voice and my mothers' voice and my daughter's voice and mine."
As she headed out of downtown, she said she'd enjoyed being part of a sea of protesters.
"It just felt very powerful," she said. "So many people, standing side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, and we were all there because we wanted our voices to be heard."
Donna Winchell of Hot Springs Village said she marched to let Trump know she's tired of his taunting.
Her home-made sign said: "How Dare You Mock the Disabled?"
The 64-year-old retired college English teacher said some of the president's statements had insulted people she loves.
"I was horrified that Trump won, and I'm concerned because I do have a disabled son, and I also have a gay son, and I have two nieces who are American citizens but they came to this country from Bulgaria so they are immigrants, and Trump does not respect them," she said.
She wants Trump to change his tone now that he resides in the White House.
"He needs to start being respectful of the people in his country," she said. "Every time he tweets, he's disrespectful to someone."
She said she realizes that some people look at protesters with contempt.
"We've been called whiners and [accused of having] sour grapes, but I think we have legitimate reasons to be unhappy," she said.
As they prepared for their return to Arkansas, the marchers said their memories of the protest would be happy ones.
"I've just met 55 amazing women that are now going to be my lifelong friends," said 35-year-old Jessica Ford of Little Rock. "My feet hurt. I'm hungry. I'm tired and I don't care. I'm the happiest I've ever been."
A Section on 01/22/2017