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Sussex sends hundreds to Women’s March on Washington

A couple hundred people show their support by gathering on Lewes Beach
Sussex County sent 8 buses to the march. Returning from the march at New Carrollton Metro Station are, l-r, Kathy McGlade, Joan Irvine, Marie Mayor, Beverly Smith and Barbara Warden. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Maddy Lauria and Chris Flood
January 27, 2017
Kate McKenzie traveled from California to ride the bus from Sussex County with her parents Peggy and Guy Fisher of Lewes. She carried one of the most popular signs at the march. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Groups marching under the Seaman Knapp Arch on Independence Avenue. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Martine Downing, far right, of Milton joined educators from Montgomery County MD to highlight global warming and human rights. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
A view of marchers gathering at 10:00 a.m. in front of the Education Department on Independence Avenue. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Marchers in front of the Air and Space Museum prepare to march down Independence Avenue to across the Mall. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
As some of the riders from Sussex County disembarked at the New Carrollton Metro Station, they gathered together with the Cape Gazette. Pictured, l-r, are Dianne Pearce, Jeri Berc, Shelley Grabel, Brenda Sims, Clemens and Alix Robinson, and Frank Jump. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Many marchers enthusiastically showed pink pride in many clever fashions, including crochet. JR FUTCHER PHOTO
Participants were signing the DOI with any comments or declarations on a 200-foot-long canvas laid out at the foot of the Washington Monument at the Women’s March on Washington. JR FUTCHER PHOTO
Some people made protest posters for the peaceful march in Lewes Jan. 21. BROOK HEDGE PHOTO
Cape Region residents united in solidarity for a sister march on Lewes Beach Jan. 21. BROOK HEDGE PHOTO
Local photographer JR Futcher said of the hundreds of photos she took while at the march in Washington, D.C., this one truly “captured the spirit for me and many others personally and culturally.” JR FUTCHER PHOTO
Local photographer JR Futcher, right, joins friends (l-r) Tonilee Lucchino, Laura Wynosky Adams and Cheryl Goldberg in front of the Washington Monument during the march. JR FUTCHER PHOTO
Cape Region residents (l-r) Mary Ann Scott, Carol Boyd and Susan Lowe are joined by New Mexico resident Lynn Hopkins, who came from Santa Fe to participate in the Women’s March on Washington Jan. 21. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Many protesters also headed to Washington, D.C., Jan. 21 for the Women’s March on Washington. PHOTO COURTESY OF NATHALIE WILLARD
Lewes residents (l-r) Kathy Brady, Dianne Jacobini, Caryl Williams and Gail Smith brought along a Cape Gazette to the Women’s March on Washington Jan. 21. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Beth Enos, far right, came prepared with a sign. Joining her for the peaceful march in Lewes are (l-r) Debbie Burns, Marta Ortiz, Linda Rathmanner and Lisa Nothstein. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
About 30 people gathered for a march in solidarity on the island of Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean. LAURA DESALVO PHOTO
Five charter buses left the Lowes parking lot in Lewes early Jan. 21 to head to the Women’s March on Washington. Shown are in back (l-r) Marianthi Bousses and Kaliopi Bousses. In front are Jennifer Biddle and Kristin Yoshimura. PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER BIDDLE
Cape Region residents (l-r) Lilly Tanverdi (in back), Polly Lehtonen, Donna L. West, Deb Dobransky and Gene Tadlock boarded one of seven buses in southern Delaware that headed to the Women’s March on Washington. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Taking a selfie at the Washington, D.C., march are (l-r) Lisa Conner, Brenda Ross and Deb Davies. SUBMITTED PHOTO
A Cape Region resident shared this photo of protesters at the march in Washington, D.C. SUBMITTED PHOTO
There were plenty of protest posters at the Women’s March on Washington. MJ OSTINATO PHOTO
Milton resident MJ Ostinato said these guardsmen, at the Washington, D.C., sat on top of their truck and took pictures of the crowd for anyone who handed up their cellphones. “Maybe the most congenial crowd of people I've ever scene. Everyone was patient, kind, polite, not even a cross word,” Ostinato said. MJ OSTINATO PHOTO
Milton resident MJ Ostinato said this photo was one of her favorites from the march in Washington, D.C. MJ OSTINATO PHOTO
Some participants took their protest to full costumes. MJ OSTINATO PHOTO
Beebe Frazer of Lewes waves her flag along the edge of Lewes Beach. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
Pausing from the march for a photo are (l-r) Yona Zuker, Sue Goudy, 7-year-old Justina Goudy, Marta Ortiz, Sandy Oropel and Renata Price. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
And the marchers are off. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
Getting ready to walk down the beach are (l-r) Melinda Hudson of Millsboro, Marsha Davis of Lewes, Marilyn Hewitt of Lewes, Yona Zucker of Rehoboth Beach, Leslie Ledogar of Lewes and Michele Warch of Georgetown. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
The King family (l-r) Christine, Chelsea, 9-year-old Simone Spoor, 11-year-old Kiran Spoor, and Tom enjoyed a Friday night of games and poster making before the march at Lewes Beach. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
Joining march organizer Nancy Powell are (l-r) Cape Region residents Linda Clarke, Chris Powers, Alvin Ross, Nancy Powell, Teresa Palese and Suzanne Schwartz. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
Showing support for each other – and others peacefully protesting around the world – are (l-r) Mary Lenney of Lewes, Maureen Ewadinger of Milford, Ruth Lamothe of Millsboro, Martrise Jones of Lewes and Barbara Vaughan of Lewes. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
Enjoying the stroll are (l-r) Robin Lank, Jean Pikus and Diane Lank. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
Well over 200 people joined forces the morning of Jan. 21 to peacefully march along Lewes beach. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
Rehoboth Beach resident Chris Lehman carries young Abe on his shoulders during the march. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
Cape Region residents (l-r) Mary Jo Johnson, Mary Ellen Monos, Robin Bedlington and Jean Athan enjoyed the opportunity to march for women's rights on a cool January morning in Lewes. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
Despite her cane, Carole Ann Basso of Lewes is joining the sister march in Lewes. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO
Seaford resident Caroline Spicer, 9, joined the march in Lewes Jan. 21 to show her support for women's rights. MADDY LAURIA PHOTO

Two days removed from participating in the Women’s March on Washington, Marie Mayor’s excited anticipation to tell her story was palpable.

“I’ve never experienced anything like it,” said the Cool Spring resident of the Jan. 21 event, her smile floating through the phone line like the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. “It was wonderful. It was such an amazing, positive experience.”

One of a few hundred people from the Cape Region who participated in the massive march, Mayor said she went for many reasons, but mostly to show her support for the Affordable Care Act and against Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s nomination for education secretary.

The ACA is far from a perfect law, but repealing it is not the answer, said Mayor, adding that as a former educator, she doesn’t think DeVos has the background to be advising Trump on education policies.

Moving on from that serious tone, Mayor returned to excitement. She said she had participated in two or three marches in the 1980s, but the Women’s March was an experience like none other.

Mayor’s bus, one of eight she knew of from the Lewes area, left for the march at 6:30 a.m. It was an impressive number of people for a little rural county, she said.

The whole ride, she said, passengers were talking about the issues that inspired them to make the trip. Mayor described a scene that sounded similar to excited school kids getting ready for a field trip to the Smithsonian. “We were all talking constantly,” she said.

The bus dropped the marchers off at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s New Carrollton Station, and, said Mayor, by 9:30 a.m. the group was making its way to downtown D.C.

“It was so crowded it was hard to walk,” she said. “By the time we got on the train there was no room left, and it kept moving, not stopping along the way.”

Mayor said one of the things that made her smile was to see all the young people who participated in the march. We were all marching together so peacefully, she said.

Mayor said she was so moved by the event, she didn’t realize she walked nearly 8 miles. “Everyone was so jammed together, it didn’t feel like we were moving at times, but according to my Fitbit, that’s how far we walked,” said the proud 70-year-old.

“It was so much larger than we anticipated. We all felt so energized,” she said. “To be a part of the message was inspiring.”

The day of this interview, Mayor was inside her warm home as the nor’easter that hit the East Coast earlier this week raged outside. She said she had been prepared to go to the march in the worst of weather.

“There was so many people, the heat in the crowd would have made it bearable,” she said.

Sister March in Lewes

Not everyone who supported the march and its message was able to make it to Washington, D.C. According to the march’s website, more than 600 Sister Marches took place around the world, with millions of participants.

One of those marches, with a crowd larger than 250 people, gathered along Lewes Beach.

Nancy Powell said initially 12 to 15 friends had planned to walk in Cape Henlopen State Park the same day the national Women’s March on Washington took to the streets. But those friends told others, who shared the idea for a local march with more friends and neighbors, until the gathering grew to dozens of Cape Region residents and families interested in peacefully protesting.

“I think it was important to show some solidarity with the people in Washington,” Powell said as she stood along the shoreline of the Delaware Bay.

For Rehoboth Beach resident Sandy Oropel, the march was a chance to stand her ground.

“We couldn’t go to the march in D.C., and it was important to me to stand in solidarity with women around the world on issues that are important to women and the men who support us,” she said.

When asked her biggest concerns regarding the new administration, she said, “Where do I begin?”

Powell said she hoped the march allowed time for people to think about their concerns, and speak about those issues with others.

“It’s nice to see everybody having a good time and talking,” she said. “It really is a chance to walk this beautiful beach and think about what we might do to ensure America stays strong.”

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