This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March on Washington, a protest launched the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration that advocated for a number of issues with a common theme of women’s issues and human rights.

The Women’s March on Washington was the largest protest in American history, and launched hundreds of sister marches across the country. In Maine, Women’s March events took place in Augusta, Portland and Brunswick, and Mainers traveled to events in Boston, and even D.C., to participate in the global event.

“There was something like 10,000 in Augusta,” said Jessica Mahnke, founder of Indivisible Sagadahoc. “I mean, it was really just incredible.”

“A lot of people in Brunswick were very actively engaged in the Women’s March, there was actually a march right here in Brunswick that was sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church,” added Jackie Sartoris of Brunswick Area Indivisible, which formed after two Brunswick groups merged over the summer.

Sartoris, a former Brunswick town councilor, joined the Women’s March in Boston last year, where she met up with and marched with her daughter.

“It took us over an hour and a half just to find each other,” said Sartoris. “The numbers of people were just massively way over what had been anticipated.

“There was such a range of emotions,” she added. “There was a feeling of being powerful, and also determined. My daughter and I really sort of soaked all of that in.”

And while the Women’s March was a historic day, it also had a lasting impact in sparking a protest movement that has continued throughout the first year of Trump’s presidency. In Maine, local grassroots groups have sprung up in the days and weeks since the 2016 election to organize protests and pressure the state’s delegation to oppose the president’s agenda.

“From what I can see, people are effectively engaged much more than they were prior to the presidential election of 2016,” said Sartoris.

Brunswick Area Indivisible has hosted several rallies; according to Sartoris, they’ve had attendance of about 100-plus every time. It’s been a major shift in the way people are regarding our democracy, she said.

“The news over this last year is that we have vibrant citizen activism that really emerged from the election and is clearly continuing,” said Sartoris.

Over the year, Indivisible Sagadahoc has also hosted or joined a number of protests. Additionally, they’ve conducted a number of postcard writing campaigns, largely to influence Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Yet in spite of that activity, Mahnke said that Indivisible Sagadahoc is reluctant to engage heavily in elections. The group’s focus remains advocacy and awareness, while elections work is likely to be left to organizations with far more campaign experience. Keeping a distinct identity from the Democratic Party is important, said Mahnke, though similar groups might be more involved in elections.

“Each group is different. There’s a uniqueness in each individual group,” she said. “And each one has a different emphasis.

“When you’re in the beginning of something there’s just this enormous feeling of enthusiasm and startup. Now as I look back, I see it in the context of a year’s work,” Mahnke added. “I think it was a wonderful start, but as everything else happens, it’s the hard work that you put in as events happen that’s really what counts.”

There will be a Women’s March on Saturday in Augusta to mark the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March. Both Indivisible Sagadahoc and Brunswick Area Indivisible will have a presence at the march, and Brunswick Area Indivisible will have a seperate gathering on the Brunswick Mall at 11 a.m. Saturday for those who are unable to travel to Augusta.

nstrout@timesrecord.com