Women's March on Washington: Locals share stories of excitement, hope

It was dark outside when Chantal Collins pulled into Chancellor Livingston Elementary School at around 1:45 a.m., ready to load three buses bound for Washington D.C.

As the Rhinebeck site director for the Women’s March on Washington, it had been her responsibility to organize transportation, and she had wanted to be the first person to arrive ahead of their 2:30 departure. But, to her surprise, idling cars and excited young women already filled the lot.

“There was anticipation in the air,” said Collins, whose three buses brought 164 Hudson Valley residents to the massive protest that took over the nation’s capitol. “My friends and family made sashes that looked like they were from the women’s suffragette movement.”

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More than 500,000 people were expected to attend the large-scale rejoinder of President Donald Trump Saturday, including many who travelled from the Hudson Valley. Images from D.C. showed overcrowded metro-rail stations, a sea of people in the streets and a marching route that extended past what was initially expected.

The protest, held the day after Trump's inauguration, coincided with others happening in cities around the country, from New York City to Indianapolis to Boise.

Red Hook resident Susan Ciani, who took the Rhinebeck bus to D.C. with a couple of friends, said the never ending flood of people — not to mention the signs bearing messages like “Our bodies, our minds, our power” — were a comfort.

“It makes you feel like you’re not alone,” she said. “An amazing feeling to be around people who have the same feelings.”

The 66-year-old wore a handmade cape Saturday reading “I bake and I teach and I fight the bad guys,” fashioned from a black laundry bag and masking tape. Her favorite part of the day was watching feminist activist Gloria Steinem discuss women and their collective power.

Reflecting on the trip, she said it was important for her to speak out against what she sees as a threat to women in Trump, similar to the protests she was a part of in the 1960’s against abortion restrictions.

“I didn’t think I would have to do this again,” she said.

Similarly, 68-year-old Rhinebeck resident Al Ragguci said the march reminded him of demonstrations he participated in opposing the Vietnam War, though the size of those protests pale in comparison.

He spent much of his day at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, jammed between crowds of people, but said he felt it was necessary for him to speak out for women’s issues alongside his wife, Duane Ragguci.

“There’s great concern about women’s rights,” he said. “About abortion rights, about equal pay, about the Supreme Court nominee coming up.”

City of Poughkeepsie resident Peggy Stepe said many liberal issues were discussed by a rotation of speakers on a platform on Independence Avenue, where she spent a good chunk of her day.

Hearing messages of inclusivity and the importance of protesting — from the likes of documentarian Michael Moore, political activist Angela Davis and others — reminded her “there are so many people like me,” a notion she said would have been hard for her to believe on the night of the election.

“I cried and I cried,” she said of her reaction to the results. “Now I know I’m not unusual ... I do fit in.”

For Melissa Ortquist, of West Park, Ulster County, the march was about speaking out for the different cultures she now sees as threatened, and she said she was particularly moved by a performance from a Native American group.

“With the traditional attire and the drums and the beautiful music — it just brought tears to my eyes,” she said. “It made me feel like, ‘we’re all in this together.’”

By Saturday evening, she was reeling from the day at a friend’s friend’s house in D.C., while others from the Hudson Valley were either settling in for the night like her or making the trip back.

Collins said her group was running behind in leaving due to a delay on a metro ride, and around 7:30 p.m. was in the outskirts of Baltimore hoping to make it back to Rhinebeck within five hours.

What made the hectic travelling worth it, she said, was the “amazing” experience of seeing women supporting women.

And, specifically, seeing her step-daughter, son’s girlfriend and sister-in-law scream out and chant on the National Mall for a day.

“I saw a new generation of women in such a positive light,” she said. “There’s so much hope.”

USA Today contributed to this report. Jack Howland: jhowland@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4870, Twitter: @jhowl04