Women of the Boundless Across Borders organization got their hair braided during a binational protest called Braiding Borders on Jan. 20. (Photo: Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez)

A small but powerful group of women opted to forgo pussy hats in favor of braiding their hair together in a unique display of solidarity at the U.S.-Mexico border on Inauguration Day.

“The vibe was power. The vibe was unity. The vibe was joy to be together and to say it all louder than words could ever say it,” Xochitl R. Nicholson, a co-organizer of the Boundless Across Borders demonstration, Braiding Borders, tells Yahoo Beauty. The action, held on the border bridge connecting El Paso, Tex., and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, drew 52 women who stood back-to-back in pairs, having their hair interwoven into a single braid behind them (those with short hair tied scarves as connectors instead). The women faced each other and held hands.

(Photo: Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez)

“We wanted something that referenced women directly, but that also sends a message about our common heritage and common backgrounds in a broader context,” Nicholson told Fusion. “It’s a symbol of collective strength.” And hair, of course, is symbolic of so much for women.

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“I’m born a white American and I’m going to be braiding my hair with a Latina woman,” participant Leah Gillespie added. “It really marks this idea that, yes, we have our differences, but here are our similarities. And we’re binding those similarities in an act of solidarity.” Another woman taking part, Marison Diaz, told Fusion, “No act is too small. Change happens through small acts.”

The newly formed nonpartisan organization’s action was just one of hundreds of women-focused protests and demonstrations happening in response to Donald Trump’s inauguration over the weekend, the main event being the Women’s March on Washington.

(Photo: Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez)

The border bridge event kicked off with a group of about seven artists, activists, and performers who were then joined by all participants. “Once we launched the event on social media, we had women from all walks of life coming forward to participate,” Nicholson says. “With contacts in Juarez, and people from El Paso who live in both cities, our hope for 50 women to represent 50 states was realized easily.”

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She adds that the demonstration took much bravery on the part of those who stood on the bridge. “There were tears and there were nerves, because we were in ‘no man’s land,’ where enforcement officials are within legal rights to take anyone into custody without probable cause,” she says. “Because we were standing to unify two worlds while there was another ceremony happening elsewhere that, in some ways, declared to the world that the United States doesn’t believe in unity and the value of all its people. We wanted our ceremony to be a clear response: ‘We are one and nothing can come between us.’”

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