Crowds bring bright signs, big goals as they gather for Women’s March 2019 in Santa Ana

Activists celebrated recent victories and pushed for more change as the Orange County Women’s March got underway in Santa Ana on Saturday morning.

“Two years ago, we were still reeling. We were still traumatized,” said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Laguna Beach, referring to the election of President Donald Trump, which sparked the first Women’s March in 2017. But, she added, “We turned our anger into action.”

A crowd that is expected to climb into the tens of thousands began arriving early for the march, which started at 10 a.m. at Flower Street and Civic Center Drive with chants of “Women United will never be divided.”

The event, organizer Nichole Ramirez said, is a celebration of how Orange County has transformed – a 71 percent turnout for the 2018 election, for instance – and a look ahead at what’s to come.

“We are strong and we can make a difference,” she said. “We definitely want to remind people it’s not over. There’s still a march to 2020.”

Carlota Serna-Na from Brea: “I have a laundry list of problems” that can’t fit on a sign, she says.#WomensMarch #WomensMarch2019 pic.twitter.com/dr0gditrT5

— Jeong Park (@JeongPark52) January 19, 2019

The march was born two years ago as an outcry over the election of Trump. Soon thereafter, the #MeToo movement flourished, challenging a culture that allowed sexual violence and gender double standards to endure. The subsequent boost to women as civic leaders is perhaps the most important force in today’s American politics.

Today, marchers are demonstrating in cities across the nation, from Washington, D.C. to New York to Denver to San Francisco. Southern California events are underway in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Redondo Beach and Riverside, among other cities.

“This is the future of the United States, and it is decidedly women,” State Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, told the crowd gathered in Santa Ana.

Amid chants of “girl power” and “equal rights,” United Farm Workers co-founder and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta spoke about the work that went into organizing Saturday’s marches and the importance of what they’re trying to accomplish.

“We are marching for the future of our children,” she said.

Among the early attendees Saturday was Cathy Udovch from Laguna Hills, who came wearing a top from Wonder Woman, the scarf of Harry Potter’s Gryffindor and the famous Ruth Bader Ginsburg collar. She’s attended past Women’s March events and volunteered for Rep. Katie Porter’s campaign last year.

“The change didn’t happen by accident,” she said. She called the past marches a “cathartic experience,” saying they have been big parties with goals.

The Orange County Gay Men’s Chorus, MenAlive, was ready to march with a rainbow banner that read: “MenAlive sings for equality.”

“They are our sisters,” said Dean McCleskey, marketing director for the chorus.

Though a slate of people were scheduled to speak, Ramirez said the group learned from last year’s lengthy program.

Related: Women’s March 2019 (here’s where to go in Southern California) has some big shoes to fill

“This year, we are bringing more art and music into the actual march itself,” she said.

Five murals are on display at the march, each depicting societal issues such as motherhood and police accountability. There is also a chalk wall where marchers can finish the sentence “our movements are ___.”

“The art makes the invisible visible,” said Monica Curca, the march’s Street Art Team Leader. “The art helps shift the power.”

There are also spots throughout the march with performances, including an audio recording of a young student reciting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“Our kids don’t know history,” Patricia Adelekan, a member of the march’s planning coalition, said. “This is a way to tell people to study their history.”

Especially in Orange County, where far-right movements have had a strong presence, the organizers have made a concerted effort to bring people from different backgrounds to the march, Ramirez said. People canvassed the community, she said, reaching out to youth and people of color.

“This is for unity,” she said.

This seems to be one of more popular signs. In a span of about 10 minutes, a half dozen people stopped to take a photo.

Kim Vander Dussen, from Anaheim, is holding up this sign. “It says everything,” she says. pic.twitter.com/IJuxdzdzec

— Jeong Park (@JeongPark52) January 19, 2019

Michelle Castillo, a co-organizer of the Orange County Indigenous Women’s March, is leading a “march within a march” for the indigenous community today hoping, she said, to spark conversations about the murder and disappearance of indigenous women.

“This is our chance to voice whatever is going on in the community,” Castillo said. “You cannot just stay home behind closed doors.”