January 21: The View from Copenhagen

by Nancy Dowd, guest contributor, Professor, University of Florida College of Law, Visiting Distinguished Professor at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, Lund, Sweden. 

 

I was in Copenhagen for the day, invited by the director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and his wife for lunch and a walk around their part of the city (a very cool and unique area called Christiana), and went with another visiting professor, Anne Orford, and her family.

At the end of the day, about 6pm here, we walked back to the metro, and took that to the airport, where you have to pass through customs, this all to prevent immigrants from coming into Sweden illegally. As I went through the process, the agent asked me “how was your day yesterday?” I thought it was a trick question or something and got a little worried. I responded “fine” and took a step or two. Then it dawned on me, he was asking about the inauguration….”It was awful!” I said to him, “But today is beautiful!” On the way on the metro I turned on my phone and had gotten the live coverage of the Women’s March, and was absolutely blown away. So this was about 11 am EST.

Then as we stood on the subway, I suddenly noticed the back of the jacket of the young woman in front of me. It had a statement taped on it about why she was standing/demonstrating for equality, justice and human rights and against the kind of man who in word and deed stands for none of that. Then the door opened and she was gone; I wished later I had said something to her–thank you, for standing with us, and standing for you.

 

As we rode back to Sweden, Anne and I shared what we were seeing on the live feeds, and also the shots from Twitter–of the amazing, funny, uplifting, incredible signs and the people. The wonderfully diverse people in that crowd. The crowds in other, less expected places. Texas!!! And late last night I heard about the march in St Augustine. Unity and solidarity unimagined. And I suspect that although the march was predominantly women, it’s wonderful to imagine the sons, husbands, lovers, friends, all male, who are attached to that immense crowd of women.

THE SIZE OF IT WAS MIND BLOWING. UPLIFTING. I HAVE HOPE NOW.

 

The energy was palpable here. So my thanks to you who marched or supported the march. I was proud to be an American; and also proud to see that the link between women, around the world, is strong, bridging differences. One of the most important things about this moment for me is that the leadership and the goals were multiracial and intersectional. That is a gigantic step forward for women.  Affirmative, for the good.