The March on Washington, Jan 21, 2017. What an overwhelming success, with over three million people marching across the United States, making it the biggest demonstration in United States history. 260,000 marched elsewhere around the world, too – here, in my hometown of Toronto, 60,000 people marched.
Tracey Erin Smith, Artistic Director of Soulo Theatre, Savoy Howe, and the whole Soulomobile thankfully made it across the border, marched on Washington, and made it back to Toronto. A whirlwind, important trip.
The participants were incredible, motivated, and peaceful. The signs were moving and funny and poignant. And the Pussy Hats… the Pussy Hats were everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
Here I am with my good friend Arlene Hazzan Green of BUFCO, with her awesome pussy-themed climate change sign.
Here we are organizing before the march – that’s Claire (wearing my first beaver pussy hat design), Jennifer Cowan (a knitter from way back), amazing actor Deb Drakeford (wearing another beaver pussy hat), equally amazing playwright Bev Cooper (wearing a pussy hat that her friend in Vancouver knitted and sent her by mail in time for the march), and me.
I marched and knitted one more Pussy Hat the whole way from Queen’s Park…
… to City Hall.
There were thousands of pussy hats in the crowd.
Toronto’s book and bicycle maven Janet Joy Wilson takes the prize for unique pussy hat of the day: hers covered her bike helmet, and since she goes nowhere without her bike, this seemed wholly appropriate.
Meanwhile, the Soulomobile took my four other hats to Washington. Here are Tracey Erin Smith and Savoy Howe (wearing the Symmetricats pussy hat) waiting for their bus at Toronto’s Union Station.
Here is the incredible actor and ukulele game changer Jodi Pape, with Tracey Erin Smith. Both are wearing pussy hats knitted by Toronto artist Kerry Furneaux, who sent 3 pussy hats with the Soulomobile down to Washington:
Kerry also did a gorgeous rendition of the beaver pussy hat design:
Here are the Soulomobile travellers, getting ready for their journey, and look at the wonderful pussy hats:
And here are Tracey and her Soulomobile peeps representing Canada in Washington:
Check out this Global TV news clip featuring Tracey reporting on her trip to Washington:
https://www.facebook.com/TraceyErinSmith/videos/10154690635040873/
Fab knitter Gill Johnston got in on the pussy hat knitting action, and her hats made their debut in Washington on the heads of friends Morgan and Tory:
Even Eleanor Roosevelt got in on the knitting protest at 72nd and Riverside Drive (photo by Katherine Weber).
Tracey and Savoy got back to Toronto and headed over to Crow's Theatre to share their stories March on Washington at The Spoke storytelling event.
How did such a small thing – a simple, knitted hat – become such a symbol of resistance? I look at all these photos and remember that my small part – 4 hats in Washington, 4 in Toronto – were just 8 amongst millions. But that’s the point, isn’t it? We can all start with a tiny protest. A drop in the bucket. And then… the bucket overflows.
This Jan 23, 2017 article in the Globe and Mail by U.S. correspondent Joanna Slater said that “the organizers of the Women’s March in Washington rolled out their first initiative aimed at maintaining the momentum of the protests. They called on participants to commit to taking 10 actions in the next 100 days, traditionally a period of intense activity for a new president.”
So I am contemplating my next move. And can I do it with knitting? Krista Suh and Jayna Zweiman did with the Pussy Hat Project. And what a wildly great job they did.
Stay tuned.