Thousands peacefully march in Sonoma
By Sarah Ford | Special to The Sun
The Plaza horseshoe was full to overflowing on Saturday morning, January 21, for the local version of the nationwide Women’s March.
Organizers stood on a ladder in front of City Hall to deliver a few brief opening remarks. Neither the faulty sound system nor the thick mud in the Plaza lawn could dampen the buoyant, enthusiastic mood of the diverse crowd. Hand-drawn signs were abundant, as were homemade pink hats with pussycat ears, sported by men and women alike.
Once the March proceeded around the Plaza, the swelling crowds inevitably poured slowly off the sidewalks and into the streets, while nearby police, leaning amiably against their parked cars and keeping a watchful eye out, made no real effort to stop them. After the March, people gathered at the traditional protest spot where Broadway meets the Plaza, and shortly thereafter the police blocked off traffic to accommodate the crowds, many of whom continued to chant and march. A group from the high school stood out as leaders both in the procession and the continued chanting and marching afterwards. According to one of the March organizers, Joan Howarth, they brought “an incredible infusion of youthful energy.”
As the marchers started to break up and head home, many thanked the police on their way out. The March was notable for its polite tone and civility, and for the unprecedented crowd, estimated by law enforcement to be around 3,000. Also exceptional was the broad range of our community represented. Groups representing the Latino, LGBT, and feminist communities joined forces with the March, as did the First Congregational Church Social Action Committee, La Luz, the Peace & Justice group, and others. Many noted the large number of seniors, as well as children, who were carrying some of the day’s most singular signs, including “Mermaids Against Misogyny,” “Feminist in Training,” and “Dumbledore wouldn’t have allowed this to happen.”
Nancy Dito, another of the organizers, said that the idea for a March began spontaneously when she called a friend and said that Sonoma needed to do something in solidarity with the Women’s March in Washington. They picked a place and time and started to contact friends. Simultaneously, Aiko Sophie Ezaki and Joan Howarth were planning one too. As Howarth put it, “We were trying to figure out how to get to the San Francisco march and we realized, we could do this in Sonoma!”
Soon the groups found each other, along with other women interested in doing a march here. The combined group’s rapid growth, thanks to word of mouth and social media, took them all by surprise and they decided, as Dito put it, “We better have a meeting so we’re all on the same page.” The vision of the organizers was to show care for the environment, equality and inclusion, and justice for all, and to demonstrate that together we are stronger.
Ezaki got the event registered with the national March and created an event page on Facebook. Another member of the organizing group, Kathy Aanestad, used the national symbol to create a poster in English and Spanish. Someone got permission from the City, and soon everybody had a job. “It’s funny,” Dito said, sounding somewhat amazed. “It was so grassroots!”
The morning of the event, they anticipated about 500 people and intended to keep a head count, but as the crowd grew beyond anyone’s expectations, it soon became clear that task would be impossible. “A sea of people arrived,” Howarth said. “It was like an instant pop-up event. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!”
“We were glad so many community groups joined us and helped spread the word,” Dito said. “As Hillary Clinton said, ‘It takes a village.’” And as Howarth put it, “This is one fine village!”
