Today, a huge and orderly crowd gathered and marched to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.. Called the People’s March, it was peaceful and orderly. I was with my friend, fellow journalist Kate Woodsome and we started out by walking alongside the marchers, who were a mixture of people chanting about democracy and women’s rights.
When we reached the Lincoln Memorial, at about 15:00 in the video above, I began to live draw. My first subjects were two young women whom Kate interviewed as I depicted them on my iPad. Only aged 15, they were earnest, comforted by being among people who felt similarly, they told Kate they felt unsure of their future in our uncertain political reality. Then a flamboyant group of women talked to Kate as I drew them—my drawing does not do their outfits justice in the least. I couldn’t hear their discussions with Kate, but they were quite a unique group. I sat on the cold ground and was surrounded by marchers, standing and listening to the speakers on a stage by the Memorial.
It was quite an experience: I loved being there.
Here are the drawings.
It was a moving experience, I sensed hope. Some people seemed angry, but compared to the first women’s march I covered in 2017, the anger seemed different somehow. I can’t put my finger on how it differed. At a few points I had pangs of fear because there were so many people tightly packed as we marched, and I could not help but think about January 6th. We only saw a few Trump supporters, however, who were chanting “Trump, Trump, Trump,” and “your side lost!”
I was planning on attending the inauguration on Monday and live-drawing, but it will be dangerously cold and I can’t draw when it’s that cold. The event itself, the swearing in and Trump’s speech, has been moved to inside because of this weather, but there will certainly be a lot of MAGA supporters in the surrounding area. It’s too bad about the severe cold, I would have liked to interview them and draw them. In 2017, I live drew Trump’s first inauguration. It was interesting to be around MAGA folks on the Mall (I could not get close to the actual inauguration), and in a certain, way be witness to how they appeared to feel. Will this inauguration be the same mood as 2017?
Thanks for being here. I will share some of my photos and videos tomorrow and more drawings.
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