March for Science DC on Earth Day 2017
/Happy Earth Day, everyone! It is chilly, rainy, and totally overcast in DC, but this morning, Jack and I zipped up our raincoats, grabbed my March bag (it's like a having-a-baby bag; packed and at the ready for when it's needed!), and let Tom drop us off at the Metro.
Jack is such a passionate, curious kid but he has always suffered from a bit of transition inertia. He rarely wants to leave the place he is, but once a gentle pressure (or sometimes more aggressive force) is applied, his ball rolls happily to the next spot. Such was the case in getting him to the Metro.
As we descended the cool concrete steps of the Friendship Heights stop, I saw his pace quicken slightly. Once on board the train, surrounded by marchers wearing spirited shirts and knit earth hats and carrying clever signs, he became totally excited.
Jack loves math and science. They are for him what writing and language are for me, the fires that burn and excite deeply. He dreams of being a great scientist, and I want to teach him that a healthy democracy requires staying informed and participating regularly. Today's March for Science seemed like an excellent way to spend time together, support my parental goal, and help him see in an up-close-and-personal fashion just how great, engaged, and expansive the scientific community is. He also really wanted to see Bill Nye speak.
As we walked from the Metro Center stop towards the Mall, vendors sold buttons and t-shirts, environmental groups gave out posters, the crowd grew larger, and the rain fell harder. We were wholly undeterred. After a brief stop by the African American History & Culture Museum for some buttons and a warm pretzel, we joined the security line where we made fast friends with a toddler astronaut whose clever parents had turned his wagon into a spaceship.
Once inside the rally space, we milled about appreciating the many hysterical and smart signs people had made, eyeing the offerings at the science teach-in and #poetsforscience tents, and finding out way as close to the mainstage as possible. Questlove was the MC, and the roster of speakers was vast.
My friend, Ellen, made the poster I'm holding. Snappy, huh!
A documentary crew asked if they could film Jack and me and our signs. We also got to meet and be photographed with Congressman Bill Foster from Illinois' 11th congressional district. Jack thought all of this was extremely cool.
After a few hours of dropping temperatures, my shorts-clad boy appeared to be freezing and turning blue, so we called it a day and headed home (we did not get to see Bill Nye but Jack said he was "ok with it. He graduated from my school. That's really cool."). It was a special morning for us, and I was thrilled with the turnout and spirit of the marchers, in DC and at all the more than 570 satellite marches across the US and the world.
Science is real. Facts matter. Alternative facts are lies. This earth is the only mother we have. There is no Planet B. #resist
(All photos mine except for the dog/cat which comes courtesy of Mark Cuban.)
