Danvers Women Look For Next Steps After March on D.C.

DANVERS, MA – Julie Curtis woke up in the first few minutes of Saturday morning to make the trip to Washington, D.C. She returned home to Danvers around 5:45 a.m. on Sunday, and on Monday was still in shock from what she saw.

"It's a wonderful shock," said Curtis.

She went to D.C. to participate in the Women's March on Washington, which drew hundreds of thousands of people in protest of President Donald J. Trump. According to a Patch report on Saturday, D.C.'s transit system had seen 275,000 passengers by 11 a.m. the day of the march—eight times the amount of typical Saturday traffic.

"I’m 67, but it was important that I be there," said Curtis. "Just to say, 'President Trump, you can’t do this. You can’t bring us back to the 1950s.'" Now, buoyed by the support, Curtis is ready to keep making noise.

"Keep on letting ourselves be heard. Don’t let it die," she said. Curtis said she feels lucky to have a mostly Democratic legislature, but added that just because lawmakers have a "D" next to their name doesn't mean that their constituents should turn a blind eye.

Sally Kerans and her daughter also went to the Women's March on Saturday in D.C., to let Trump know that "the whole world is watching."

"We have to keep these issues in front of people, and that’s why Saturday was so unbelievably powerful," said Kerans. "There’s a lot to be done. At the most basic level, it’s pay attention."

Kerans said that she feels fortunate to be in a state like Massachusetts with leadership that believes in equal rights, reproductive rights, equality of opportunity, fair wages, and equal pay for equal work.

"They still need to hear from us," Kerans said of her representatives. She's adding "call Congress," to her morning routine.

Kerans and Curtis both object to Trump's Cabinet picks, including Betsy DeVos, his pick for Education Secretary, based in part on her ties to public schools. Kerans also said she was concerned about the fate of the Affordable Care Act.

"There’s going to have to be constant vigilance in terms of the legislative agenda," Kerans said.

As for the feeling on Saturday, Curtis said she couldn't begin to compare the march to anything she had seen before.

"How can you compare half a million people in one city? How can you compare listening to 100,000-plus in Boston? Every single major city in the country, there’s no way to compare it," Curtis said.

Photos via Julie Curtis