The crowd assembles before marching across the river.
So maybe Nashville didn't have the crowd that Washington, D.C. had, but estimates put today's Women's March on Nashville at 15,000 attendees, maybe more, drawing a crowd of all ages, races, beliefs and genders. Thousands filled Cumberland Park for the pre-march rally, and hundreds (if not thousands) more lined the railings of the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. After the march began the line of people was so long that at one point, while I was still on the Pedestrian Bridge, I could see the front of the march, blocks away, turning from Broadway to 2nd Ave. Hundreds of us whooped it up, hoping they could hear us — I'm sure all of downtown Nashville could hear us.
People chanted "Our bodies, our choice," "No justice, no peace," and "This is what democracy looks like." Signs called out President Trump, Betsy DeVos, Jeff Sessions and Nazis, while others boasted inspirational quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr., Hillary Clinton and The Muppets (hey, find inspiration wherever you can). There were many pink pussy hats, but there was also a lot of spilled orange ink on posters.
Everyone was patient and kind towards one another — people shared water and snacks and allowed fellow marchers to weave through the packed crowd to reconnect with their groups. Before we even got to the march the solidarity shined bright when the driver of the car in front of us in line to park paid for our parking. (We gladly paid it forward.) I saw no protesters — well, not the anti-equal rights kind, anyway — so if naysayers were there, they went unseen and unheard.
Below are some photos from the scene today by our photographer Daniel Meigs. He's posted even more on his website, which you can see here.
I'm so proud to call myself a Nashvillian today. — MEGAN SELING
So many people!
Marching across the bridge.
It took a couple of hours for everyone to cross the river and make it to Public Square Park.
Joy, not anger, was the prevailing mood.
Not everyone was dressed to impress, but those who were, went all out.
And then there were the costumes.
It will be intersectional. (Or it will fail.)
Yes, there were a lot of American flags.
There were also protest American flags.
A common theme.
Another common theme. #rip
A good question, indeed.
Marching forward, not back.
