The first March for Life held in Washington D.C. took place on January 22, 1974, a year after the landmark Roe v Wade Supreme Court case was decided. The founder/organizer, Nellie Gray, meant for it to be a one-time event, however, after the first rally took place she took the steps necessary to institute it as a yearly event.


As with any large crowd event, it is very difficult to get the count of attendees. They do try to get an estimate out though and it of course fluctuates from year to year. The first had an estimated 20,000 people in attendance, while our most current 2020 March for Life had an estimated 225,000 attendees.


There have been many notable speakers over the years who have addressed the crowed either in person or remotely via telephone or satellite. Past Presidents of the United States such as Ronald Reagan and George W Bush have addressed the crowd via telephone, but this year Donald Trump became the first President to attend the March for Life in person and address the crowd. 


March for Life 2020 also happened to be my first time participating and all I can say is what an awesome experience that was! To hear all the various political figures and activists sharing their thoughts and stories on the pro-life movement was very encouraging. Not to mention, being surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people, all with the same pro-life mindset, that was uplifting as well. 


Coming from the small town of Shamokin where we have a volunteer, staff, and board crew of roughly 30 people total, it truly was amazing to be surrounded by such a large crowd. To know that all those surrounding you have the same pro-life stance and respect for life that you do is empowering. It reminded me of the proverb about sticks that goes something like this: ‘Sticks in a bundle can’t be easily broken, but sticks taken singly can be.’ When we all stand together to protect the sanctity of life, it is much easier to achieve our goals and much harder for others to bring us down.