Solidarity in Solemn Times
It’s been twelve weeks since WAAM’s DC arrival. To say WAAM2 knocked the wind out of us organizers is an understatement. Yes, the second march went unquestionably smoother than the first. The route was more streamlined, rest stops better planned, less shuttling across dicey patches and to overnight hosts. Vehicle support wasn’t figured out on the fly but instead followed experience-based configurations. The weather was more conducive to walking (okay, we can’t take credit for that). Our phenomenal food team applied lessons from the first march to plan meals that were even more filling and reliable.
We also connected with new partners — thank you to Sol at the New Knollwood Community Center in Claymont, DE, and Iglesia de la Resurreccion who graciously hosted our group for a last minute rest stop entering Baltimore. We reconnected with old friends — Lex at 50501DC, Delane and the crew from Together We Will Harford County, Trish with Indivisible Route 1 Corridor, Mike and his farm in Cecil County, plus Tracey and Pastor Mike from our Delaware WAAM family. There are so many individuals to thank for their tireless work and their faith in WAAM’s purpose and potential that a list would stretch all the way from Philly to DC. (In case y’all forgot, that’s 160 miles!)
We had about 20 more through-marchers on this trip than back in September, yet in some ways the spring march seemed smaller. At times it felt like the enthusiasm from the first march hadn’t carried over. Our social media didn’t go viral — unless you’re a Facebook troll bot. Our events weren’t as large. We didn’t ask big-name politicians to speak with our community (many thanks to Representative Scanlon from Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District who independently tracked down our marchers). I know this dip in enthusiasm left people questioning the power of the movement and possibly the power of activism at all.
When I start to question the work, and I think most people in the activist space right now are doubting the utility of their labor in the face of the countless atrocities committed over the last year, I rewatch this video from the last day of the Spring march:
It’s WAAM entering DC. The song wasn’t planned. A volunteer providing bicycle support just started singing. What I recognize watching that video, what I felt marching under that bridge, is not enthusiasm. It is solidarity. It is a ragtag community unearthing and invoking strength within each other.
If WAAM1 was marked by enthusiasm, WAAM2’s tone was one of solidarity.
Our marchers have returned home and are once again engaging in difficult work within their communities. WAAM street medics have been tirelessly treating people at events from DC to New Jersey. Marchers have been organizing protests as far away as Alaska. They have been writing about democracy for communities often overlooked by organizers (EGC Blog). They have been printing, collating and scanning habeas corpus case documents to aid immigration lawyers (you can do this work from anywhere in the country). They have even been planning another Philly to DC march for this fall (March of Progress).
What all of these efforts demonstrate is that even when the world seems helpless, our marchers will continue resisting. Not because it feels good but because it is our duty to each other. If you do not take a stand, who will? This shared understanding of our power and responsibility is solidarity.
WAAM’s march out of Baltimore was a long day. We started in the affluent Vernon Hill area, stopped at Carroll Park for a bathroom break and traveled west through historically underserved areas of Baltimore. We walked a few miles in Patapsco State Park — quite the contrast to the city. We ended the day back on Route 1 trudging to the Elkridge Library through rush hour traffic. Literally through rush hour traffic. With no sidewalk and barely any shoulder, we took the lane amid an endless line of cars out of Baltimore. With the traffic snarling even more around us, I was sick to my stomach with worry about the whole situation. And yes, there were angry drivers with ambitious middle fingers. There were a whole lot of drivers who just diverted their eyes, as if by looking away they could be absolved of accountability. But then there was that last group of drivers. These drivers honked their horns, raised their fists. They yelled, “Fuck Ice!” and “Thank you!” They handed out water. They even turned on their flashers and escorted our marchers for a block or two. These people weren’t expecting to see us. They were probably exhausted and ready to be home, but for those few minutes they were a part of WAAM. When I looked at their faces, I did not see the enthusiasm the first march generated. I saw something even more critical to the spirit of our movement. I saw resolve, recognition and, yes, solidarity.
I don’t know what spirit will encompass WAAM3. But I can guarantee that when we march again next spring, along with signs, flags and megaphones, we’ll carry with us memories of both the enthusiasm and the solidarity born from our first two marches.
Check out photos from WAAM Spring 20026.
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✊🏼 from Texas