Westporters march for human rights in Boston

They had said before leaving that they expected a crowd of around 40,000 at the Boston Women’s March, but the reality that awaited a Westport busload was a considerably greater than that.

The Boston mayor's office later estimated the crowd that marched a mile from Boston Common to Commonwealth Avenue and back at around 175,000.

“We march in solidarity with 200-plus simultaneous women’s marches around the world,” said the event website beforehand.

“It was awesome,” said Sharon Connors, one of the organizers of the bus trip that departed Lees Market the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration.

“What impressed us was the solidarity and feelings of empowerment. Every single person was there for the same reason - to support human rights. Some may have been more concerned with a particular part of those rights, such as voting rights, gay/transgender rights, reproductive

rights, not repealing the Affordable Care Act without a viable alternative, climate change, immigrant rights, good educations; the list goes on and on. For me it is that women's rights are human rights.”

Those present also heard speeches by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, among others.