Westchester NOW

On the Saturday before the opening bell of the Republican National Convention, thousands of people gathered at Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn, for the beginning of New York's own March for Women's Lives. Many dynamic speakers from the five boroughs urged the marchers to demonstrate to the Republican delegates and the Bush administration that New Yorkers are deeply disturbed by the Bush agenda, an agenda that is anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-poor, anti-environment, anti-elderly, anti-Iraqi, anti-nonChristian.

About noon, the first of the marchers were guided toward the steps of the Brooklyn Bridge to walk, on one of the hottest days of the summer, up and across the bridge while chanting and waving their signs. Slowly, the marchers made their way across and down and gathered in front of City Hall to listen to more speakers.

For me, it was my first walk across Brooklyn Bridge. The view is spectacular as is the architecture of the bridge itself. And how thrilling to take this walk in the company of many thousands of women and men, old and young (more than half appeared to be under 30), whose passion and concern for the future of their country was truly inspiring.

Many thanks to all who braved the heat that day, to Planned Parenthood for their organizing efforts and to NARAL for the many thousands of signs, to the Sierra Club for their ongoing presence, to NYCLU, and, of course, to the many NOW members marching for their lives and those of their daughters and granddaughters.

On Wednesday, with the Republican Convention in full swing, I joined many more thousands of women and men called to Central Park's East Meadow by NYC NOW and President Rita Haley who hosted the event. We stood or sat on the grass on a beautifully mild evening under the stars and listened to elected officials, performers, poets and NOW President Kim Gandy energize and mobilize the demonstrators to put their voices, their time, and their energy to defeating an agenda that threatens the rights and lives of women in this country and around the world.

Some question the effectiveness of peaceful protest, concerned that our voices fall on deaf ears, that dissent doesn't effect change. Those of us old enough to have marched against the war in Viet Nam know that's not true. There is power and inspiration in the collective voice, in the colorful sea of people and signs, in the diversity of those who gather. There is hope.