In an historic act of public demonstration, millions of people marched in cities around the world for Saturday's Women's March — including an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 in Vermont's capital.
The massive crowds from Washington, D.C., to Melbourne, Australia dwarfed the turnout for the inauguration of the man whom marchers hoped to publicly and peacefully rebuke: President Donald Trump.
In Montpelier, an unexpectedly large influx of people temporarily stalled traffic and shut down exits on Interstate 89, leaving many unable to make it into the city. Those who did marched from Montpelier High School to the Vermont Statehouse, where a "unity rally" featured speakers such as former Gov. Madeleine Kunin and surprise guest Sen. Bernie Sanders.
And while the marchers marched and the speakers spoke, Graham Swaney, a senior at Mount Mansfield Union High School, flew his drone far above them, documenting the scene.
Swaney, who lives in Jericho, plans to go into journalism when he graduates. He currently writes for his high school paper and interns for the Mountain Gazette — and he has a budding aerial drone business called 400 Foot Photography. He was generous enough to share some of his images from Saturday's march with VPR. Thank you, Graham!
Update 7:45 p.m. This post has been updated to reflect an increased estimate for the total turnout for Saturday's event. We originally cited a Washington Post story estimating a turnout of 1 million; as of Sunday evening, one estimate, compiled by political scientists, has risen to 3.7 million in the U.S. alone — possibly the largest demonstration in American history.
