TRENTON -- After a Saturday that drew thousands of people across the state to rally for women's rights in the face of a political administration they deem hostile, leaders of these marches said they hoped the resistance was just beginning.
"This isn't going to be an isolated moment in time," said Elizabeth Meyer, the founder and lead organizer of the Women's March on New Jersey. "We would like to turn this into a movement."
The marches in Trenton and five other cities across New Jersey represented a strong rebuke of the actions and proposals of newly inaugurated President Donald Trump, as well as a rallying cry for progressive issues ranging from health care to climate change.
Now, Meyer said participants should fan out in their communities and advocate for the causes that galvanized them to protest. She urged people to contact their legislators, run for office and join organizations whose missions they support.
"Hopefully, we sent the very clear message yesterday that we're here and we're watching," Meyer said. "We're going to be very vigilant over the next few years."
By Sunday morning, women and allies who attended the Trenton march had already reached out to Meyer to say they felt more empowered and hopeful than they had felt in a long time. This sense of energy through solidarity was a key goal of the event, Meyer said.
She recalled watching the marchers recite a "People's Pledge" on the steps of the statehouse, vowing to uphold the tenets of democracy, resists threats to their collective safety and fight bigotry. Regardless of race, religion or socioeconomic status, Meyer said participants banded together at the march.
"Yesterday, there were no labels," she said. "Yesterday, it was, 'We are one,' and to see that and to feel that was incredible."
Lydia Kaplan, 55, organized a march in Westfield after talking with fellow women who were disappointed they couldn't make it to events in Washington, D.C., or New York City. She initially planned a gathering in front of Lord & Taylor on North Avenue and expected up to 100 people.
After listing the event as a "sister march" and getting hundreds of emails from people who wanted to take part, Kaplan worked with local police to broaden the event. On Saturday, at least 1,000 people had told her they planned to join the march from the Westfield train station to the office of U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.), where many people left protest posters.
Members of the Democratic Club at the Cedar Crest retirement community in Pompton Plains organized a rally that drew more than 1,500 people to protest in a municipal parking lot.
"They kept pouring in with signs," organizer Pat Thaler, 84, said. "Women, men, families with their children. It was mind-blowing."
Gerry Lavner, another member of the club, said they were concerned the new federal administration would defund Planned Parenthood, deny climate change and take away reproductive rights.
In Wyckoff, a former Trump employee helped organize a rally. Erin Chung, who worked for five years as a publicist and marketing manager for the Miss Universe competition, after the election founded a group with other local residents called Women for Progress.
Many attendees of Saturday's march signed up to join that group, Chung said. She added that she hopes the group will stay active during the Trump administration.
"We're here to help, in whatever shape that takes," Chung said.
About 300 people showed up to the Wyckoff event, a surprise for a town where 54 percent of voters went for Trump, Chung said.
"It's a bit shocking for the town that this many people with a lot of diversity showed up, and it was quite inspiring to see," she said.
Elsewhere in New Jersey, too, organizers and public officials said they were struck by how many more people attended the events than they had expected. About 7,500 people marched on Trenton, which Meyer said was double the anticipated turnout. In Asbury Park, police estimated about 6,000 people joined the march.
Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said the participation in Trenton was overwhelming.
"The strong showing of supporters nationwide and in the City of Trenton reflects the belief from coast to coast that women's rights and the rights of minorities should be protected, and we intend to fight for those protections," Hughes said.
Faced with a bitterly divided country and significant nationwide opposition to the stated goals of the Women's March, Meyer said people who disagree with each other need to talk and share ideas.
"So many people listen to respond, rather than listening to understand," she said. "I think it starts with dialogue and conversation, and we have to be willing to hear ideas that are different than ours if we 're going to move together in solidarity."
Staff reporter Alex Napoliello contributed to this story.
Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.