#humansofdc

“A little humility goes a long way. I feel like no one wants to listen anymore. That’s sort of depressing for everybody. It would be great if the anonymity could disappear a little bit, so we could treat each other at least like strangers. I feel like strangers get more courtesy and the benefit of the doubt. As soon as you label somebody it’s over.”

“I think Trump and people around him show a definite tendency towards fascism, militarism, revanchism, and cult of personality. All these things are making me a little anxious. But, more than that I am determined and resolute to do something about it. If I could talk to a group of Trump supporters, I’d asked them if they knew what they were getting into? I’d ask them, did he drain the swamp? Is he going to make Mexico pay for the wall? Is he going to deport 11 million people? I think they’ve been conned.”

“Trump is going to fix everything. There will be no traffic, the roads will be awesome, just smooth sailing. I’ve been following all his crazy talk. I don’t even think he understands the responsibility of his office. He talks about not wanting to live in the White House. How will he receive guests? Should they all come to Trump towers? I think he feels like he just won another TV show and he is the host, so he can do anything he wants. Four years of Donald Trump. God help us all.”  

“Everything happened very quick for us. I live close to Gallaudet University, so that’s how I got to meet him first. It was over the summer and we went to a restaurant called Copycat in NE for our first date. It was dimly lit and we started to have a few drinks. We weren’t sure how to communicate with each other. He is deaf and I am not. I didn’t know sign language at the time either. We started using a phone and after a while I suggested to put it down. We began laughing and acting kind of nervous. It was nice.” “Life is really beautiful. We are always together.” “I’ve learned sign language since, but it also really helps that he can lip read. I speak and sign at the same time. He had to learn a lot when he came to the U.S. seven years ago. He was an ESL student, so he had to learn English as well as signing. There are no good universities or programs for the deaf in a lot of other countries. Many people don’t realize that not all deaf people can sign or that there are not a lot of resources available for them. He has been a lot happier since he moved here.” “He always makes me feel special. He makes me feel confident that I can think of grand things in the future. He makes me feel like we can continue our relationship with happiness and peace.” “I like his virtuous qualities. I find that him and a lot of his deaf friends have a certain purity or innocence. It may just be from not hearing a lot of negative things. I don’t think we realize how much negative language we hear all the time. He has a lot of sweetness and cares a lot about other people.”

“Donald Trump does not show respect for human dignity. That’s what I want him to do. Respect people and make decisions based on respect. I’ve experienced a lot of disrespect in my life. It robs people of dignity and their natural power to take care of themselves and others. So many people today have been considerate, kind, and helpful. There is a lot of concern and some anger, because he has insulted a lot of people, but the overall sense is very positive. This is the first time I feel optimistic since the day Trump was elected. It has been a heavy weight to carry. This is the test of our democracy. Can our democracy stand?”

“The families are teaching their little kids this amazing lesson that it doesn’t have to be like this if they are active. And the pink hats are blowing me away. What would it be without the pink hats? It’s the icing on the cake. This march is a demonstration of love for each other. Even though everybody is really mad about what’s happening, I see more signs about our rights than I see about hating Trump. We don’t really know him, but we know what he represents. There is no dignity and that’s important for a leader to have. Whenever I listen to him I feel like I am in a back of a bar room. It doesn’t feel like there is any respect.”

“Love not hate, makes America great.”

“I am here today to stand up for and represent all the marginalized people by Trump’s presidency. I think a lot of his supporters that I’ve talked to are simply ignorant and angry about the way their life is, so they blame the government. They hear a man say, ‘I am not the government. I have money. You could be like me.” They go, ‘Oh…I want that.’ Why are they so angry? Why are they so afraid?” “What are we exactly taking our country back from?”