“Knowing that we were all there and we all felt the exact same thing felt like such a unifying experience.”
Molly Lee 52 years old | Portland, Ore.
Where she marched: Portland
On whether she’s marching this year: Yes, but there’s no women’s march planned in Portland. Lee planned to take part in the city’s National March for Impeachment on Saturday with her husband and 17-year-old twin sons.
Why she marched: Lee said she didn’t want to take freedom for granted any longer. “I think a lot of us woke up the morning after the election and realized how complacent we had been,” she said. “I thought I was being a good citizen by voting regularly and reading just enough news articles to be able to vote intelligently, and that’s about it. That was the extent of my political engagement. And then the morning after the election ... I think we were awakened to a different world.”
What it felt like to be there: “Life-affirming,” Lee said. “Knowing that we were all there and we all felt the exact same thing felt like such a unifying experience. So on the one hand, it was physically a little uncomfortable, but emotionally, it was a huge high.”
How it changed her: Before the march, Lee said, she was a “political neophyte.” Since then, she’s attended marches for science and tax changes.