Whose Choice?
“Whose Choice? Our Choice!”
This was the main chant as over a million people marched on April 25, 2004 at the “March for Women’s Lives in Washington DC.
It was the largest march in history.
What a feeling to be one of so many human beings all united over one issue - the preservation of a woman’s choice over her own body.
As soon as I heard about it, I felt moved to go. I called up my mother, Magi, in Michigan to see if she wanted to go, too. At 83 years old, she was willing to make a stand. We made travel arrangements. From California, I flew into Detroit to “pick her up” and then she and I flew to Washington DC together.
The night before the march, we met a group of wonderful women at a cocktail party hosted by the National Organization for Women (NOW). We decided to have dinner together at The Capital Grille where we enjoyed a good meal, amazing conversation and many good laughs. My mom shot this photo. These remarkable women and I have all stayed in touch via Facebook.
Time to March
Before the march began, I found a place where my mom could sit on a bench, chat with people and watch the marchers.
She proudly wore her “activist uniform” - a gray and white fedora and black cape, which I inherited after Magi passed away in 2013 on a Friday the 13th.
A highlight moment for Magi was when she met Sarah Weddington, who, as the youngest woman to ever argue a case before the Supreme Court, won Roe v. Wade in 1973. As Sarah recalled, “We won Roe versus Wade! We won our right to privacy!” The people who so concertedly worked for decades to overturn this critical piece of legislation have no idea of the repercussions that will most certainly affect THEIR privacy, too.
The entire day was filled with camaraderie, hope and brilliance. Whoopi Goldberg spoke out. Bonnie Franklin spoke out. Gloria Steinem spoke out. A contingent of Senators and Congresspeople spoke out. Ani DiFranco, Cris Williamson, Holly Near, Sandy Rapp, Laura Dawn and Moby all entertained the marchers with their amazing music. The list goes on. I captured it all with the professional video camera and tripod that my husband had given me to use.
My Choice, the Documentary
I made a musical documentary called “My Choice,” one of the first videos I ever edited. Then, in 2022, after having professionally edited scores of videos, I revised the video and sent it around to several film festivals around the world where it’s won many laurels.
Now I post it here for you, dear reader, so you can watch it, get fired up for what promises to be a bumpy 2024 election season. And share it. Share it with your friends and family. Share it so they can get fired up, too. So in 2024, once and for all, we can put our foot down, make our voices heard and proudly “hold up half of the sky” as we are meant to do.