Hundreds Of Thousands March On Washington For Women's Rights
CHICAGO (CBS) – The marches were not just here in Chicago.
The largest march took place in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, surpassing even organizer's expectations.
Nearly half-a-million people packed the National Mall for the big rally.
Marchers said they wanted to send a powerful message to the new president that their voices will be heard. They came from all over the country.
CBS 2's political reporter Derrick Blakley is live in Washington, D.C. where he caught up with a group of women from Chicago at the march.
Both organizers of the Washington march and local police seemed surprised at the size of the turnout.
An upwards of 200,000 were expected, but the crowd was so large the march was delayed because the streets were too full to move.
CBS 2 walked to the march and rally with a group of six professional women from Chicago.
For those six Chicago women, the momentum to come to Washington was born as soon as the election results were known.
"I didn't feel like I could make a difference just by sitting in my living room and I wanted to come out to D.C. to be here," said marcher Christine Buck, of Chicago.
And they were not surprised about how fast the momentum grew for the Washington march.
"I think anger can really drive people to do things quickly," said marcher Anita Torges, of Chicago. "Especially when you want to fight against wrong."
CBS 2 walked the women on their protest journey, two miles from their hotel to the rally site.
The women acknowledging this action should have come before the November vote.
"We should have been out there saying, let's band together as women," said marcher, Allison Dunn, of Chicago. "Some of us did, but now, we are out, we are out there for a common cause. In two years, it is going to change."
The crush of the crowd at times brought the journey to a stop.
"I'm wondering how we're going to get through, but I am really excited," Buck said.
The women were also motivated by President Trump's attacks on immigration. As a child, Kristina emigrated from Croatia.
"It makes me mad when we turn people away for stupid reasons or we are afraid of them for no good reason," said marcher Kristina Grbavac, of Chicago.
But these Chicago women encouraged by the statement they made in Washington.
"If women don't turn out and others whose rights are endangered, we could go back to where we were 100 years agao," said marcher, Mary Butler, of Chicago. "So I'm glad so many people are with us today."
In a tweet, Hillary Clinton thanked the Washington participants telling them, "thanks for standing, speaking and marching for our values."
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/822822900239581184
She continued, "To all the little girls watching...never doubt that you are valuable and powerful & deserving of every chance & opportunity in the world."
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/796394920051441664
