“Not our president” signs wave proudly and determinedly in the stark breeze on January 21, 2017, as more than three million men and women from around the globe participate in this impactful movement against America’s current leader.
It all started out with a facebook post, created just after Hillary Clinton’s defeat to Donald Trump in November. It developed into a massive movement with people of various races, religions and sexualties uniting for their rights. Taking place on January 21, the first full day of president-elect Trump, thousands to millions of people poured into the streets of cities across the nation, and the world.
What the crowds were there to protest was not just Trump, but his organization and actions. “Pussyhats” became a huge trend and a symbol of a way to stand against Trump’s sexual remarks about various women including the quote “Grab her by the pussy.” Different concerns were at the core of the march, including marriage equality, climate change, and education. Trump has expressed his distrust against climate change along with his idea to have Mexico pay and construct a wall along its border to the U.S. Trump recently suspended the entire US refugee system for 120 days, banning entry from seven major Muslim countries and lowering the number of refugees to be accepted into any country from 110,000 to 50,000.
Although the vast groups of people marching on Saturday were protesting grim subjects, there was a huge sense of unity. Kayla Penney attended the march in Santa Cruz and remarked that “The march was not just for equality among women, it was also equality among all people be it race, sex or religion,” and that she could “feel the difference she was making.”
The march was made up by not only young protesters, but people across the age scale. Some celebrities that attended the march on Saturday included: Cher, Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, Chrissy Teigen, and Katy Perry. Scarlett Johansson made a speech at the protest at the National Mall in Washington D.C., along with other speakers such as Madonna. People from all around the country traveled to Washington in order to further the movement, and bringing downtown Washington to a near standstill in the process.
In New York City numbers were as high as 400,000 attendees, whereas numbers swelled high beyond expectations in Chicago, up to 150,000. Crowd scientists estimated that the march drew three times as many people as Trump’s inauguration. Nearly double the people estimated to attend the protest in Washington attended, and ensured this particular march a place in the history books. It was called “one of the largest and most significant demonstrations for social justice in America’s 240 year history” by an associate dean at the University of Richmond.
No doubt an impactful and moving event, the women’s march struck the hearts of many people across our world, and symbolized the unification of all people believing in equality.
By Calyssa Solberg
The Claw 