And I was a part of it!! An actual part of history that quadrupled the number of people who attended the March on Washington led by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963. Now that's what I call a historic moment.
My friends and I woke up bright and early, ready to depart for the march to get a decent spot for the rally that included the voices of Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis, America Ferreira, Scarlet Johansson, and many more influencers, activists, and organizers that lasted a whopping four and a half hours. Standing in a tight space with thousands of people surrounding me at every corner was more than worth it -- getting to be a part of a movement that stands for everything I believe in and is far more than empowering, satisfying, and energizing is something that may never happen again. The protests will continue, but probably not one that was this powerful. Some attended just for the sake of attending, but most were all there for not just one reason -- to go against President Trump (I cringed typing that new statement) -- but most were there for several different reasons that all result in similar creeds of love. I marched for several different reasons that include:
The lives, well-being, safety, healthcare, equal pay, equal treatment, and overall equality of women,
the lives, well-being, safety, equal treatment, rights (including anti-discrimination, marriage, etc), and representation of the LGBTQ+ community, and the ability for them to love whomever they choose,
the lives, well-being, safety, rights, and representation of all marginalized ethnic, racial, and religious groups (including black people, Latinxs, Muslims, and indiginous people),
and MUCH more, including environmental issues (climate change and the water situation in Flint, Michigan only being a few), rape culture, the treatment of women in prison, and the screwed up justice system.
Bernie Sanders stated a few months back, right after the election, that we would become Trump's worst nightmare, and I have never seen truer words spoken, especially after this march. Seeing all of these women (and men!) join together, with the fire and passion in our blood connecting to form a single unit that did not hide in fear, but ROARED with our declaration of injustices and desires for a better America. How empowering is that!
But we have to keep going! This is not the end, it's only the beginning. We have to:
- Keep protesting! Just our loud words and peaceful act of assembling together to go against Mr. Trump is enough to make a huge impact in America. This march may be the most powerful, but they will continue, and the more marchers, the merrier (I know I'll be at all of them!!).
- Reach out to Congress. Merely watching all of this go down is not proactive; actively attempting to stop these injustices by calling your congress members is. I even have their number! Call 202)224-3121 and ask for your local senator or representative, and tell them what you care about. Tell them what matters to you to form a better system out of Trump's presidency. Do this everyday, and something is bound to happen. Remember that this country is run by us!!!
- Join organizations, or even volunteer for them. Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the Human Rights Campaign, the National LGBTQ Task Force, The Movement for Black Lives, and much more -- just google what you would like to be an activist for, and there is bound to be several non-profit groups you can benefit. Donate to these groups too, if possible.
Yesterday was day one, day one of Trump's presidency, but definitely not day one of our activism. And it's not our last! Let's get to work, ladies.
All photos shot by me, excluding the fifth and sixth photos.
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