WASHINGTON — On Saturday night, Amalia FourHawks felt hopeful for the first time since Donald J. Trump was elected president in November.
FourHawks, 59, of Florence, joined the estimated 500,000 women, men and children of all ages, colors and creeds who descended on the nation’s capital to be counted for the Women’s March on Washington. The march is believed to be one of the biggest demonstrations in Washington history, and as night fell, not a single arrest had been reported.
After hours of walking, FourHawks said she was exhausted but exhilarated “to see the numbers of people that are willing to stand up and say no to this maniac.”
“Now I know what has to happen,” she said.
Hundreds of people left from Massachusetts in buses, cars and planes to attend the march. An estimated 9,600 people from the commonwealth made the trek, including many from the Pioneer Valley.
For 40 people in Northampton, the road to the march began with a 1 a.m. bus departure. Gathering in the dark and cold at the Roundhouse Plaza early Saturday, spirits were high as the mostly female group loaded onto the charter bus.
Conversation, laughter and introductions quickly faded into quiet as the group tried to sleep.
Before the drive began, Northampton couple Priscilla Finn, 66, and her husband Jack Finn, 68 and Pittsfield mother and daughter Leah Reed, 38, and Shanyse-Yasmine, 13, talked about why they were marching.
Jack Finn — who ran A2Z Science & Learning store with his family before retiring — has marched against the Vietnam war and on the 50th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. march.
Finn said he was going to the march to hold Trump accountable to the people.
“To all the people, not just the ones who voted for him,” Finn said. “It’s the beginning of the process. People have to stand up.”
Leah Reed, vice president of NAACP-Berkshire County branch, said that as a black woman, she wanted to make sure she came and brought her daughter with her.
“As a mother, I want to show we’re valuable ” Reed said. “We can effect change in a positive way.”
Shanyse-Yasmine said she came to support her mom as well as help people to have the courage to stand up.
As the bus pulled into the stadium parking lot more than seven hours later, a parking lot already packed with buses foreshadowed what was to come on the streets surrounding the National Mall stretching from the Capitol to the White House and Lincoln Memorial.
With the bus parked for the day, the Northampton group quickly disbanded, heading in smaller clusters to the crowded metro trains or streetcars while others opted to make the 2-mile trek from RFK Stadium on foot.
Walking past the U.S. Capitol building toward Independence Avenue, some stopped to take photos on the steps. Throughout the day, the sounds of enthusiastic yells came in waves as marchers responded to rally speakers, including activist Gloria Steinem, actress Scarlett Johansson and singer Alicia Keys — or simply responded to the energy of the crowd.
With the crush of people at times impenetrable, many of the 40 in attendance from the Northampton area said later that evening they were unable to hear the rally that started the march.
Turnout in the capital was so heavy that the designated march route alongside the National Mall was impassable. Protesters were told to make their way to the Ellipse near the White House by way of other streets, triggering a chaotic scene that snarled downtown Washington. Long after the program had ended, groups of demonstrators were still marching and chanting in different parts of the city.
Near the Washington Monument, Leverett resident Millie Thayer, 64, said she flew down Friday afternoon to join her friend Lois Wessell, of Takoma Park, Maryland. The two joined about six others on one of the 31 buses that left the Maryland area early Saturday.
Wearing her pinkish coral “pussyhat” made by a friend, Thayer reflected on the day from the lawn of the Ellipse, just outside the White House. She said there were many reasons she wanted to come, including taking a stand on climate change, racism and immigration.
Standing on the lawn of the Ellipse, the Washington Monument in the background and a pink bandanna tied around his arm, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, said he came to make clear to Donald Trump that there are a lot of people who disagree with his policies and are prepared to fight.
“I’m also here because I’m here with my 15-year-old daughter, I’m very troubled by Donald Trump and what it means for the future of this country but especially for my daughter,” McGovern said.
“I want her to grow up in a country where her rights aren’t abridged — where rights like the right to have an abortion are still protected under law,” he said.
“Look, millions and millions of people across this country are frightened and I think a lot of people are here today because they want to make it clear they are going to fight back. Politics is not about rolling over, it’s about standing up for what you believe in and fighting for it.”
Having started his day early with the Massachusetts contingent at Garfield Park, McGovern said he found the day “incredibly inspiring” following what he called Trump’s dark and unpresidential inauguration speech and the executive order that Trump immediately begin signing to reverse policies of his predecessor, Barack Obama.
“I wanted to be here,” he said. “It kind of feels like a little bit as therapy because I’m with like-minded people who care about this country. But being with my daughter, as I reminded her over and over again, this is history.”
Like FourHawks, McGovern said he was feeling hopeful after the march.
“This is the beginning and what’s going to have to happen is that all the people here need to remain committed in being involved and that means talking to your representatives and talking to your senators, writing letters and joining groups and being part of an effort to shape the future of this country,” he said.
“We’re not powerless. We can play a role in what our country looks like in the future but it’s going to require us coming together and standing together. This is a signal of renewed activism in America and it’s about time.
“I’m ready for a fight,” McGovern concluded.
Back on the bus around 6:30 p.m., the group was in high spirits despite some having walked more than 10 miles and others not having eaten a solid meal since the day before.
For Reed, the NAACP leader, the day had been great.
“The atmosphere was welcoming — saw some interesting signs,” Reed said.
Looking through photos on her phone, Reed showed off her favorites as well as some of the more risque designs.
Laughing about some of the pictures Reed took, Priscilla Finn, 66, commented that the signs should be made into a book for a fundraiser.
In addition to admiring the artwork, Finn also took a photo with a man dressed as Abraham Lincoln.
“There were just people everywhere,” she said. “I’ve never seen so many people.”
Moving forward, Jack Finn said he and Priscilla were trying to decide which organization they wanted to work with. Even living in a Democratic city in a Democratic-leaning state, he said, they still need to reach out to people.
The trip home was not without its issues. After a long day of marching, a long ride home lay ahead for the 40 who met at the Roundhouse Plaza.
Around 4:30 a.m., more than seven hours after leaving D.C., the bus pulled into a pharmacy parking lot in North Haven, Conn. It did not continue.
The driver was exhausted from the foggy and traffic-filled drive and unable to continue. After debating possible steps, small groups left by cars summoned through the ride-hailing app Uber.
All told, more than 600 “sister marches” were planned worldwide, including Paris, New Zealand and (on a tiny scale) Antarctica. Crowd estimates from police and organizers around the globe added up to well over a million.
At a press briefing shortly after the Women’s March on Washington, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer didn’t acknowledge the hundreds of thousands of protesters in the capital. Trump first responded Sunday morning via his personal Twitter account.
“Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly,” he tweeted.
A tweet about television ratings for the inauguration then followed. Two hours later, Trump tweeted again about the march.
“Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don’t always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views,” he tweeted.
This report contains information from the Associated Press.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.