This is the second year of the Persistence March. Last year over 8,000 people attended. The vibe this year was definitely different. Not quite somber but not as energized. But Spokane still brought the numbers – 6,000. I really wanted to document again this year. I wanted to see how much the energy had shifted from last year or if it had shifted at all. While the novelty of the march didn’t carry over as much this year, the fact that the march was called a Persistence March showed that, indeed, people are persisting.

It was a cold morning so we stopped for coffee and waffles at Boots before walking over. We met up with some friends and followed the growing crowd. As we approached the park downtown we could hear someone on a microphone and pretty soon music was playing. I followed the sound and saw the band playing. Soon a speaker got up to get the crowd fired up in chants.

MMIWW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Washington) led the march through downtown. Their banner was held high and hopefully helped spread awareness to their cause. As they walked past, you could see women, men, and young and old of all races and backgrounds were part of the march again this year. Some had signs of empowerment, some of love and inclusion. Others wanted to call attention to some of the injustices occurring in our society. But everyone there wanted to be a part of creating something better…

MMIW

For more information on Missing and Murdered Indigineous Women, click MMIWW.