Mary Wood-Constable said Saturday was the first time she ever felt concerned enough to protest, demonstrate, or march for a cause.
"I hope that it helps others realize how important so many of us think this is. Some of these rights and freedoms that are very basic to America are potentially threatened," she said. "I think many people aren't seeing that we stand to lose a lot of what is basic to our country and what it stands for."
The Hyde Park woman was one of thousands of people who gathered at Washington Park before marching in solidarity with a national event in Washington, D.C., and in other cities. The Women's March on Washington was a demonstration against the new Trump administration, as well as policies and rhetoric put forth during the election.
Deborah Harris from Montgomery said she couldn’t deal with what she has heard from Trump and his supporters. She says the marches send a message to Congress.
During his inaugural address Friday, Trump said the day was not just about a transfer of power from one administration to another, but a transfer of power from Washington to the people.
"Which people?" Harris asked. "He put billionaires and millionaires in his cabinet. Those are his people. Everybody else are just tokens."
People marching on Saturday afternoon carried signs in favor of reproductive rights, affordable health care, LGBT rights, immigration, and racial equality.
George Odendo of Downtown isn't an American citizen but has legal immigrant status. He says he isn't worried about being deported despite his concerns over anti-immigration rhetoric from Trump supporters.
"It's not just really about me. This is a country full of people who are people," Odendo said. "And even if my rights are not being infringed, there are other human beings whose rights will be and that concerns me as a person."
Similar marches were expected in more than 300 other cities.
