Resistance and persistence

Women’s March Contra Costa County organizes human banner “END HATE!”

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  • All across the field where the Women’s March human banner took place, many people sang songs and played instruments, filling the air with music before the start of the event.

  • Human banner participants hold hands to form the letter H and as a sign of unity.

  • A woman runs across the field as her rainbow cape, fashioned from a Pride flag, flows behind her.

  • Above the crowded entrance to the park where the event was held, a man’s sign is seen high up in the air with the sentence “The endgame is all-inclusive peace and justice” on it.

  • Two young children sit in a wagon pulled by their mother, each holding a rainbow Pride flag.

  • Laughing, a mother wearing a shirt with the sentence “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” on it grabs a water bottle from her bag while her young son and daughter, donning a Wonder Woman cape, watch.

  • As the helicopter flies over the crowd to take an aerial shot, people throw their hands in the air, waving and making peace signs.

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Background and Summary

In response to recent widespread violence and divisive rhetoric, Women’s March Contra Costa County brought more than 800 people together, including local action groups, on Aug. 26 to create the human banner “END HATE!”

The exclamation mark at the end was made up almost entirely of participants dressed in pink and red, many wearing the symbolic “pussy hats” that rapidly gained popularity during the Women’s March after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

“This message emphasizes that we need to continue efforts to combat divisiveness and come together as one nation committed to the pursuit of liberty and justice for ALL people,” Women’s March Contra Costa County officials said.

At approximately 11 a.m., photographer David B. Page shot the aerial view photo from a helicopter. The event took place on the ball field of Civic Park, 1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Richmond, was there holding the U.S. flag.

Aerial photo courtesy of Women’s March Contra Costa County, additional event photos by Amanda Su