Newtown was well represented on January 21 as hundreds of local residents - women, men, and children - converged on Women's Marches in Hartford, as well as in New York City and Washington, DC. They were as willing to share their reactions to their collective experiences as they were to brave the long trip and other inconveniences to be part of what several local residents referred to as history-making activism and "democracy at its finest."The Newtown Bee solicited reactions from residents participating in the Women's Marches:Mary Ann Jacob: "Participating in the Women's March in Washington was one of the most inspiring things I've ever done - especially since I was able to make the trip with my sister and her 11-year-old daughter. For me, it was an affirmation of my beliefs that you stand up for what you think is right. I've always said if you want to be heard you have to show up. So many women before me have stood up and helped make the changes that allow me so many of the freedoms I am so fortunate to have today. I hope some of the work I do showing up helps the women who will come after me. The hallmark of our democracy is our right to speak up for things we believe in, and in order for our leaders to make informed decisions we have a responsibility to let them know what's important to us."Dana Los: "This was the first protest I have ever attended. I wanted to march because this administration promises so many changes that I feel will be detrimental to the country I love and the world in which we live. It was an incredible feeling to be part of something that turned out to be a worldwide event. The vibe in DC was overwhelmingly friendly, helpful, hopeful, and welcoming. I find myself feeling energized and engaged."LeeAnn Prete Browett: "Although I have lived in Southbury for the past nineteen years, I grew up in Newtown, attended the Newtown Public Schools, and even taught social studies at Newtown High School for six years. When the opportunity arose to travel to the Women's March on Washington on a chartered bus from my hometown, I seized it. When I boarded the bus in the wee hours of January 21 in Newtown, I didn't know anyone traveling with me. Because of our shared experience at the Women's March on Washington, I left the bus approximately 24 hours [later] with two amazing friends. The Women's March on Washington was more like a cacophony of images, sounds, and snippets of conversations with people from across the country that, no doubt, will play out over and over in my mind for years to come. When experienced collectively, they were faith restoring. The March was new friends, old friends, young, old, women, men... people crammed together standing in solidarity from all walks of life. The hundreds of thousands of people that came to Washington were motivated by different causes, but held one thing in common: they believed in equality, justice, and fundamental rights for all. Above all, the March was peaceful. It was endless waves in [a] sea of humanity filled with Americans donning pinks hats and limitless hope. The Women's March on Washington was our democracy at its finest. My heart is full. The day is done and now it is time to roll up our sleeves and continue our work!"Carole Hart: "[This was] my first march and it was empowering. I am inspired to get involved in keeping our country safe and all inclusive. To keep Planned Parenthood funding in place, health care and continue to work on gun control. I have a son with mental illness and I highly support background checks."Judit DeStefano: "It was an unbelievable experience to be part of the protest in Washington, DC. I was in awe of the diversity: Women - and many, many men - of all ages, colors, and creeds were represented. And to learn later that we were joined by protesters in every state and on every continent was really moving. I've heard in the days since that we should 'grow up' and 'get over it' but there is truly nothing more adult than speaking up when you see wrong being done, and nothing more American than exercising your right to free speech and peaceful protest. When I join my voice in the chorus to speak up for underrepresented minorities, women's rights, immigrant rights, LGBTQ rights, and common human decency, I am confident I'm on the right side of history."Sarah Beier:ats around wherever I go in the future as a reminder to keep active on these issues. [Other] issues that I noticed represented by signs at the March were keeping the Affordable Care Act, reproductive rights, gun violence prevention - because it is indeed a women's issue - free speech and free press, indigenous Peoples' rights, and LGBT rights, plus others. The messages on the signs were compelling and the marchers were articulate and creative and informed." "The March was exhilarating and gave me great hope that there are so many voices that share my thoughts. Now we need to continue to be heard and we need to act. I found the vast array of signs to be a delightful part of the March, ranging from fairly straightforward for women's and human rights (like my sign) to those that were funny, profound, historical, and at times crude. There are so many important issues that need to addressed in our country and I think they were all represented in the voices of the marchers. I loved seeing the First Amendment etched in the stone face of the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue and thought that was very empowering, and yet that very amendment is already under siege by our new President. Ironic and terrifying. The sea of pink hats was inspiring and simply made me smile. That was a divinely inspired idea. I hope to see those hAmy Olver: "What made the march and the day so powerful and moving to me was the inclusiveness and diversity of the people in the vast sea of pink. The crowd was so friendly and passionate at the same time. I came away with a sense of purpose - keep working hard for social justice - and hope for our democracy."Barbara Sibley: "I traveled to DC for the Women's March, and it was such a powerful event. It was incredibly validating to be together with like-minded people, speaking out for women's rights, human rights, and issues close to our hearts. We were a diverse, loud, and highly motivated crowd - concerned about the current administration and ready to take action to protect our rights. From watching the speakers, to hearing the performers, to meeting people from around the country and walking together in unity, the entire experience is one I'll never forget. Many of us didn't have any kind of cell or internet connection all day, so it wasn't until we got on the bus back to Newtown and checked Facebook and Twitter did we realize just how big the event had been. Seeing pictures and stories from friends who marched around the country made it feel that much more powerful. I'm so proud to have participated, and to be part of a movement that will change our country for the better."Cindy Carlson: "My daughter and I joined hundreds of thousands of marchers who are concerned the current administration will erode important causes. I saw signs supporting environmental issues, reproductive rights, religious liberty, racial tolerance, freedom of the press, and the issues that motivated us to travel to DC: gun violence prevention."Aimee Pokwatka: "This is what I'll be holding onto, in the days and years to come: The little girl with the homemade sign that said "Women are strong." The little girl with the homemade sign that said, "People should be nice to animals." The little boy who repeatedly, joyfully shouted, "Show me what democracy looks like" so he could hear everyone yell, "This is what democracy looks like" in response. The toddler carried by her mother who smiled when she saw someone dressed like Wonder Woman. Talking to the woman from Georgia who looked just like my grandma and said she had to be careful about who she told she was coming but got on the bus anyway. Talking to the retired teacher from Florida who was worried about guns. Another older woman from Florida, who flew in with a big group all wearing neon yellow feather boas, who put her arm around me and pulled me up so I could see Gloria Steinem speak. Listening to the water protector from Oklahoma. Listening to Angela Davis. The young guy with an older woman holding a sign that said, "Mi madre left a country where abortion is illegal. My nieces shouldn't have to." The young, loud woman who got up and told everyone she was marching because her mother had been sexually assaulted, and then used her loud voice to share why others were marching, one by one. Standing in the cold for hours, essentially trapped by the masses, while people talked and danced and chanted and took care of each other. Hearing cheers start blocks away and move and build across the crowds. Barely being able to see while we marched because there were so many people holding so many signs. Seeing the signs for every single cause imaginable and knowing we were all there together, despite a messy web of privilege and history, in a suddenly far more hopeful way."Karen Pinto: "I came home from the Women's March on Washington feeling very hopeful. I am hopeful that the positive energy created there will translate to people acting on a local level to fight for the issues they hold dear. There were so many issues represented by the placards people carried and so many people from all walks of life. One of the chants that kept swelling up in the crowds was 'What does democracy look like? This is what democracy looks like.' This gave me another reason to be hopeful, that so many people would stand up and speak out for justice for everyone. I thought long and hard about what I wanted my protest sign to say. What I came up with was a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr from a speech in Alabama in 1963: 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'"Joanna Rosen: "If I had to describe the Women's March in NYC in a single word, I would call it 'epic.' From the time our group from Newtown boarded the train at Southeast station to the time we disembarked at Grand Central, the positive electricity in the air was palpable. The streets were flooded with women and men spanning multiple generations. The signage was poignant, with statements voicing frustration, humor, satire, and advocacy. Pop-up jam sessions filled the streets with energizing music. Cheers and rallying cries united the crowd. Despite our outrage at the new administration's absolute repudiation of basic human rights and decency, what compelled me to attend the March was not individually driven. It was in acknowledgment that strength comes in numbers. That the health of our society demands us to step outside our individual comfort zone and fight for what we believe in. It wasn't until I sat on the train heading back home with my daughter, flipping through my phone and viewing photographs posted from around the world, that the magnitude of the day began to sink in. It was a global event shared by passionate, concerned people spanning all seven continents. If that's not epic, I don't know what it is!"Michelle Embree Ku:Associated Press content was used in this report.

Many were among the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who marched to Republican President Donald Trump's glittering Trump Tower in protest, saying he may be from New York but he does not represent the city. The Women's March on New York City, one of hundreds around the country staged a day after Mr Trump's inauguration, ended near Trump Tower, where as president-elect, Mr Trump conducted nearly all of his post-election business and where his wife, Melania Trump, and their young son, Barron, will live.

Thunderous cheers rang out as New York protesters packed into barricades at least 15 blocks long for hours, moving slowly toward the tower. Some avenues were so clogged that demonstrators couldn't move forward. A spokesman for Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said 400,000 people took part in the march.

and estimated 3.3 to 4.6 million people rallied at Women's Marches in the nation's capital and 500-plus Sister Marches in the United States and hundreds of thousand more in other cities around the world Saturday to send an emphatic message to the newly sworn-in president on his first full day in office, many saying that they would not let his agenda go unchallenged.

While in a global exclamation of defiance and solidarity,

"Welcome to your first day, we will not go away!" marchers in Washington chanted.

Many of the women wore pink, pointy-eared "pussyhats" to mock the new president. Plenty of men joined in, too, contributing to surprising numbers everywhere from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles to Mexico City, Paris, Berlin, London, Prague and Sydney.

The Washington rally alone attracted more than 500,000 people according to city officials - apparently more than Trump's inauguration drew the day before. It was easily one of the biggest demonstrations in the city's history, and as night fell, not a single arrest was reported.

According to one release, the Connecticut Chapter of the Women's March on Washington coordinated 80 buses so residents could join the call from women around the nation to unite to move from despondency to recovery and resistance. Approximately 4,500 state residents were expected to make the trip to Washington.

Organizing partners included Amnesty International, EMILY's List, GLAAD, Girls Who Code, Muslim Women's Alliance, Planned Parenthood, United We Dream, NARAL, CT NOW and Newtown Action Alliance (NAA). Following the national elections last November, an NAA release stated that its supporters became increasingly concerned as "the gun lobby ramped up its efforts to put guns everywhere."

"As an American woman, man, or child, we have the right to live without the fear of getting shot in our schools, malls, movie theaters, airports, nightclubs, places of worship, workplaces, in our streets, and in our neighborhoods. Here in Newtown, we know firsthand that guns don't make us safer. States with more guns and weaker gun laws have more gun deaths," said NAA Chair Po Murray.

"Gun violence is a women's issue. On average, 554 women are shot by their intimate partners every single year in America," Ms Murray added. "We are marching with our mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends to send a bold message to Donald Trump and our new government on their first day in office that women's rights are human rights and we deserve to be safe in our towns and cities across the nation."

Earlier this week,

"The march was an uplifting experience. To be part of such a large peaceful protest made me appreciate in a new way the country we live in. It was the epitome of what democracy is about. I was a bit apprehensive about being in a large crowd, especially after seeing some reports of violence after the inauguration. But kindness was a theme. Every interaction that I had with other people left me feeling better about people, whether it was someone concerned about a crying child or an elderly woman. There were times when the crowd was so tightly packed that it was impossible to move, but people would start chanting 'move back' and the crowd would open up for people to get out. Even on the walk back to the buses, there were residents standing outside of their houses to wave, thank us, and bid us well. My favorite chant of the day was 'Show me what democracy looks like,' with the response 'This is what democracy looks like!'"

Ms Ku, who also serves on the Newtown Board of Education concluded reflecting on where the massive global effort, which included so many of her own Newtown neighbors, would go from here.

"Now that I am home again, I hear a lot of backlash about the marches, and I am concerned about how it all plays out over the next couple of years," she said. "Everyone wants to be heard, but if we are all shouting, there's not a lot of listening going on."