si se puede, part 2

Some photos from today's march in New York:
I was only there for a short time at the very beginning (alas, was scheduled to teach for most of the afternoon/evening), but even then, the downtown-bound platform in the subway was full of people streaming from the trains with their signs and banners and flags. I joined the start of the march/rally by City Hall, heard some speeches (incl. Hillary's; not bad), and took some photos before I had to leave. If I'd been free all afternoon I'd have joined one of the feeder marches, probably the WFP march across the Brooklyn Bridge. Brief impressions: The atmosphere was buoyant--people smiling, cheering, hoisting their kids aloft, chanting and singing. A strong contrast to the antiwar marches, which (with the exception of 2/15) have had such strong undertones of despair, anger, and powerlessness. It felt like a celebration, an affirmation of presence--underpinned by belief that this battle can be won. Also, while the Latina/o presence was certainly very strong, this march was incredibly (and unsurprisingly) diverse: lots of signs in Chinese, a big contingent of desi Muslim teenage girls in matching shirts with slogans (couldn't figure out what the acronym stood for); women in traditional West African dress, "Legalize the Irish" t-shirts, etc. It's been awhile since I was at a demonstration on these shores, but the chants people were striking up were immediately familiar: Los pueblos, unidos, jamas sera vencidos!, and Si se puede!, of course. Some signs and banners: If you Aren't an American Indian, You're an Immigrant. We Didn't Cross the Border, the Border Crossed Us! Did the Pilgrims Have Green Cards? We are Not Criminals. Proteja los Derechos de Trabajadores Immigrantes. We are America. No Human Being is Illegal. We are the Economy. Dignidad y Respeto por Los Immigrantes. Today We March, Tomorrow We Vote. Liberty and Justice for All.

I'm not sure I've ever felt that at home amidst a sea of American flags before--certainly not since 4th of July parades as a small child, before the flag began to feel like something the right-wing had laid claim to. And scores of other flags, too--many people carrying two kinds, one in each hand. It looked as if the stars & stripes had married the flagpoles of the UN plaza.