Alpine resident Michael Castelli marched with his rainbow flag, taken out of storage from its last use — in the March on Washington in 1993. (John Waters, photo)

By Marlys Hersey, Editor, and John Waters, Publisher

Despite suddenly cold, wet, windy weather sweeping across the area, approximately 200 people from around the Big Bend convened in Alpine to participate in The Women’s March on Washington — in Alpine, Texas.

Entirely peaceful, the protest started at the base of Hancock Hill, behind Sul Ross State University. A majority of participants hiked 1.5 miles up and around the hill, on established trails, while the rest walked a more accessible (and slightly more sheltered from the wind) route around the college campus.

The atmosphere was congenial, and at the end of the march, remaining demonstrators who had not yet scuttled off due to sleet posed for a group photo, highlighting the familial feeling amongst members of this community who came together to make a statement in support of women’s, and in fact all human rights.

Afterwards, organizer Amelie Urbanczyk, Alpine resident, musician, mother, wife, and Montessori school teacher, explained her motivation for facilitating this event: “Like so many of us, I felt moved to participate in the Woman’s March on Washington, but in my own community. This being the Big Bend, it didn’t take much to bring a large crowd of folks who believe that women’s rights are human rights and that this is a concept worth marching for.

‘Really, all I did was create a Facebook event, and it quickly took on a life of its own. I never dreamed so many people would show up, especially in light of the daunting weather conditions. But they came, no one complained, everyone was ready to go. It was amazing, and with over 200 people joining us, it was incredibly empowering.”

At the beginning of the march, Urbanczyk read to the huddled, bundled-up crowd a quote from author and Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison: “This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

Then Urbanczyk read the mission statement from the Women’s March on Washington: “The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us—immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault—and our communities are hurting and scared. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear.

In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.

‘We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society. We work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all.

HEAR OUR VOICE.”

During and after the march in Alpine, the Gazette asked several participants their reason for attending:

Gilberto Valenzuela, Alpine: I am here to keep the rights of women and the rights of others protected. Already our new president has signed off to do away with protections against sexual violence.

Albert Bork, Alpine: Solidarity!

Jesse Kelsch, Alpine: There is soooooooooo much wrong with this administration. I am here to stand with the women in Washington.

Amy Oxenham, Alpine: Dissent is the first and best American value.

Patsy Culver, Alpine: I used to be very closeted about my politics, but no more…. After the recent election’s rhetoric of hatred and bigotry, I knew I couldn’t take democracy for granted. I walked for all people’s rights.

Michael Castelli, Alpine: I am thinking of our future, the events of the last sixty days; the President creates a diversion with Twitter and [meanwhile] the House and Senate will have their way.

[Note: During responding to the Gazette, Castelli was complemented by an unidentified woman who thanked him for bringing a rainbow flag on the hike.]

Dr. Katie Ray, Alpine: I want my 15-month-old daughter to know [Trump’s] values do not represent her.

Liz Castillo, Alpine: I wanted to show up to the march to show solidarity with the women and men marching in DC. I think its important that we stand up and show that we will not be bullied, we will not be silenced, we will not allow the country to backtrack on all the progress.

Caelan Devine Ryan (age 13), Terlingua: I marched to show support for women’s rights and human rights and to protest Donald Trump’s misogynistic and racist claims.

Bernadette Devine, Terlingua: I love that our little piece of west Texas marches up mountains to support equality, peace, and human rights. I marched today to be in solidarity with people who choose kindness over greed and respect for all people over disdain for the disenfranchised.

Liz Sibley, Alpine: Coming together in a peaceful demonstration on the hill today is healing on many levels. From a national and global perspective, our collective presence is about human rights and dignity for all, and a reminder to everyone in decision-making roles that we will not go away. And a reminder that we need to take more personal responsibility for governance and be prepared to confront injustice, the erosion of civil liberties, and the destruction of our fragile earth to special interests.

Dr. Janet Greathouse, Fort Davis: I marched for myself and for all those who couldn’t make it. I marched because I am frightened of what will become of our country, our world, our planet. I see that we are moving in the wrong direction, after making such difficult strides to get to where we were last week. I worry that this might the beginning of the destruction of our planet, the reversal of our rights and the end of our freedoms. I want this new government to see that it will not be easy to push us over, that if we can stand together and show our strength, then we can overcome these challenges.

Mike Latta, Alpine (who said he was particularly impressed by the turnout and by the several generations of West Texans on the hike): I’m disgusted by the lack of democracy we have seen.

Martha Latta, Alpine (commenting on the group’s tenacity to gather in rainy 46-degree weather referenced the motto of the U.S. Postal Service): Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Natasha Zepernick, Marfa: I am here because I could not make it to Washington.

Megan Wilde, Alpine: I love the mission statement of the Women’s March in Washington. This is not about Trump; this is to remind our legislators… to see all these people in little bitty Alpine is a testament to our numbers.

Vicki Gibson, McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis: I marched for human rights. I marched for my immigrant friends, particularly those who came out of the shadows under DACA and now risk deportation to a country they left as a child and don’t even remember. I marched for my Muslim friend who is afraid to wear her hijab public and afraid she will be required to register as a Muslim even though she was born in America. I marched for my gay & lesbian friends whose right to marry — a right newly obtained — is now threatened. I marched for affordable healthcare for all Americans. I marched for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. I marched for reproductive rights, which includes much, much more than abortion. I marched for the right of transgender people to use the bathroom of their choosing. I marched for science. I marched for the environment. I marched because I believe all people should be treated with respect. I marched because we stand on the shoulders of previous generations who marched and fought for their rights and I don’t want to see any of those rights rolled back. We must keep moving forward. We must continue to make progress.

Roger Siglin, Alpine: I was there to show support for women worldwide who continue to face discrimination and violence in every aspect of their lives. I hope that our protests will cause Donald Trump to rethink his behavior past and present. He owes women an apology, and if he did that, some might be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately everything he does makes that difficult, whether you are talking about human/women’s rights, protection of the environment, or any other important issue facing the country and the world.

Mary Beth Garrett, Alpine: I went to the women’s march to reassure myself that I was not alone. I was reassured!

Liz Rogers, Alpine: I yearn for a return to civility in our national public discourse. I am surrounded by loved ones, both good friends and family, who are Trump supporters and almost to the last one, we can agree to disagree. For me, feminism is in my DNA. I like to identify with those that appreciate the enormous contribution that women and other segments of this great, diverse nation have lent to the strength of our republic. And I love the mission statement of this march!

Beverly Escuder, Alpine: I have never participated in any kind of activism after an election before, but this one was different. What I have seen unfolding over the past year concerns me. I attended the march in Alpine as a message to those who feel marginalized in the wake of our recent election. I stand not only with women, but racial minorities, and people of all religions and sexual orientations. I am also concerned that this administration is leaning towards authoritarianism. Exercising my First Amendment right to free speech just felt like the right thing to do.

Amy Ellis, Alpine: I attended the march to show my solidarity with other women across the country in our desire to attain truly equal rights and preserve the hard-fought rights we have. We stand to lose access to health care, access to resources protecting women from domestic violence, equal voting rights with complex voter ID laws which impact women and minorities, and more. I was overwhelmed to see the local response, and floored by the global response. This let me know I was not overreacting. This action steeled my
resolve to get more involved politically and helped me to network with other inspiring humans.

Louise Davis, Alpine: Never, in my memory, has there been a public figure even close to being as narcissistic as Donald Trump. He is not going to change, as some of his supporters insisted he would if he were elected. This means that our marches all over the world must be just the beginning. We must all be activists. We have to do more than believe what we believe. We must take action. We must use our words and actions to unite in preserving the truth, all the rights Americans have worked to obtain and our precious and fragile democracy. That is why I marched and will continue to behave according to my values, and to speak out against this man who is the very opposite of all America is. It is my conviction that our democracy and indeed, our world, hangs in the balance.

Voni Glaves, Terlingua: I marched because I was afraid. My greatest fear is that we would quietly and surely lose freedoms we have fought so hard to have. After the March, after I saw the worldwide response, I know there is a way. Together.

Carol Wallace, Alpine: I attended the March in Alpine because there was no way I could not attend. This election puts everything I value at stake. Women are so incredibly strong, although often quietly so, and have finally reached a point where that strength must be seen and heard by ignorant power mongers. Women give life and protect it. There are good men who know and respect that. But there are those who don’t. The march was a vehicle for sharing our resolve and love for each other. It was powerful display of caring.