signs of the times

I just got back from the Women's March on Washington. It was an overwhelming experience.  The turnout was so huge we couldn't get anywhere near the rally so we just stood among the masses of people for hours.  We didn't get bored though because everywhere we looked we're signs.  Even when it seemed no one was moving there seemed to constantly be new signs popping up.  They were amazing.  Colorful and creative, angry and funny, images or just words, two dimensional, three dimensional, tiny large, glittery - they were as varied as the people holding them.  

I've collected some of my favorites here and I'd love to add others if you'll send them to me.  As we we're making them, my sister commented that it felt like we were part of a long proud tradition and I couldn't agree more. Many iconic images of protest signs come to mind.  They mostly date from a time when there weren't many avenues for expressing your opinion publicly.

Unlike today's era of the internet where opportunities to comment are everywhere and often anonymous. Which I think is exactly what makes the protest sign so powerful.  "This is what I think and here I am - the living breathing human holding this sign."  I had so many conversations with strangers started by my sign or theirs.  More than any other object (except maybe the telephone?) the protest sign is literally an object of conversation.  Between two people, between the person holding it and the media that covers it and between 5 million marchers and the world.