Article and photos by Jovanna Reyes www.jovannareyes.com

As a first generation American, Latina, person of color, mother of four daughters, wife of a Black man, homeowner, tax payer, college payee for three daughters, I am concerned and so are many others.

This morning I woke up at six a.m. and decided to make my way to the march alone. I didn’t want to take my three youngest daughters because of safety concerns.  My oldest did attend on a bus from her university.  The march was so congested and packed, I didn’t get to see her.  We were only three blocks from each other with thousands between us.  I’m just glad she was there to witness it and understand the need to raise your voice with a call to action.

There were endless signs.  It was impossible to read each one. Men and women were marching for Black Lives Matter, climate change awareness, refugees, immigration, deportation, Trump grabbing pussy, Trump in flames, gay rights and women’s rights.  The overwhelming theme was the right to choose and a reminder to Trump that women own their privates and they are not up for “grabs”.

Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, decided to use his first official statement today to reprimand the media.  His disdain was due to the reports of the low attendee turnout for Trump’s inauguration.  It was reported yesterday’s event had the lowest attendance between Trump, Bush and Obama. Spicer stated that the inauguration was attended by the most people in person and around the globe.  DC Metro subtlety slammed that claim with a simple tweet(below).  I wonder if Trump woke up this morning and saw the never-ending sea of pink pussy hats(they were lining up since six a.m.) and demanded Spicer to downplay the march’s attendance.  As a former reality star, Trump’s responses are those of a man dependent on ratings not that of a newly elected President.

Metro‏@wmata Metro Ridership: As of 11am, 193k trips taken so far today. (11am 1/20/13 = 317k, 11am 1/20/09 = 513k, 11am 1/20/05 = 197k) #wmata

The march was a breath of fresh air after the Trump win.  Knowing there is a collective group that still share the same thoughts and feelings on a basic moral code is comforting.  It still isn’t enough.  We must make sure we stay attentive and vote for those whom will represent all of us.