We are a gentle, angry people
and we are singing, singing for our lives
(from Singing For Our Lives by Holly Near 1990)
A Gathering of Gentle Angry People
Folk Singer Holly Near’s moving song Singing For Our Lives came to my mind on Saturday, January 21, 2017, at the Women’s March in Des Moines, Iowa. Special gatherings were held across the country, from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, as well as in Paris, in London and even in Antarctica. Thousands of women, as well as men, came together to express opposition to the new administration with solidarity and with purpose. Des Moines was one of many cities across the nation where marches were held. This gathering at the Iowa Statehouse far exceeded expectations with a crowd in excess of 26,000 people.
As soon as I arrived at the Women’s March, I walked among the crowd and took in the vast and growing throng of excited and diverse people. The gathering was larger than I expected. I immediately thought of Holly’s song about “gentle, angry” people coming together to change the world. That phrase perfectly described the growing crowd of people that spread down the massive steps leading up to the Statehouse and proceeding far down the hill. Everyone was certainly upset at the apparent drastic change in the country, but there was also a sense of togetherness that washed over the crowd and gave it an aura of gentleness.
I was first introduced to Holly Near in the early 1990’s when my lovely wife, Diana, held a Women’s Conference in Des Moines. To conclude the conference, Diana booked Holly Near for a concert. Holly has worked and record with many famous artists, including Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Ronnie Gilbert, Joan Baez and Bonnie Raitt, just to name a few. You can learn more about Holly Near by clicking here.
Faces Tell the Story
Gatherings like the Woman’s March provide the opportunity to tell a different side of the story by capturing the faces of those in attendance. As a photographer, I love capturing faces the most. Faces tell a deeper, more personal side of a story, and you’ll see that here. By now you’ve seen breathtaking photos of the various marches from around the world. These are historic images because they give a sense of the enormity of the marches and show grand vistas with stately buildings in the far background. News media use such images because they must give location information, so they can provide context to their story and because such images provide a sense of the size of the gathering. Certainly, those can be moving images like those from Chicago and Los Angeles. The images from Washington D.C. are particularly noteworthy because the March took place on the same site as the inauguration that was held the previous day.
But I wanted to get closer and look into the faces of the people who attended the Women’s March. This is especially true in an event of this size because by being able to see the wonderful, diverse and expressive faces of participants up close, it provides a deeper and more personal view of the event.
Rather than just seeing the expansive vista, you able to see into the souls of individual people by looking in their eyes. Images such as these show the Women’s March in a way that cannot be seen in the overhead shots shown on news sites and in print media. Certainly, a massive crowd in a city’s center is quite an impressing thing to see. But you cannot see the emotion of the individual members of the throng and you miss so much. I want you to see the passion, anger, resolve. love, community, solidarity and above all, hope in the faces of the marchers.
Gallery of Faces at the Women’s March
The photos of the faces are presented in gallery form so they are not filtered with commentary. Please take a few moments to look at and ponder each face. See if you can feel what each face is conveying, because by looking into their eyes you take a look into their souls. As you look at these committed marchers, it will seem like you can almost hear them and feel them by seeing their faces.
Click anywhere on images to view full gallery.
Incredible photos!! So many emotions captured
Thanks so much. And I appreciate your feedback!
Amazing. Thanks for crediting Holly Near, one my all time favorites. Your photos truly capture the emotions and voices of the marchers.
Thanks so much for your feedback. I have you to thank for introducing me to Holly Near. As I began to walk around the march area down in front of the Statehouse, I thought of the song “Singing for our Lives” by Holly. Later on, after the speakers were finished and they began marching around the Statehouse, music was playing on the loud speakers and they played this song by Holly. But, I thought of it first!