Nearly 100,000 people in St. Paul, Minnesota joined forces with millions of others around the world to protest for women’s and human rights on Saturday, January 21st, which was President Trump’s first official day in office. I was fortunate enough to be able to march that day and raise my voice for myself and all of the people who could not be in attendance. What I experienced was one of the most moving and inspiring events I have ever been a part of.
It’s common to see passion arise in any sort of crowd. At sporting events fans are screaming from the sidelines, at concerts the audience is loudly singing along, at elementary school programs parents are often moved to tears by watching their children. But never have I witnessed a crowd more supportive and more passionate in my entire life than what I saw and experienced at the Women’s March in Minnesota.
Minnesota residents of all races, genders, sexual orientations and classes marched hand-in-hand from St. Paul College to the state capitol building. Organizers of the march expected a crowd of maybe 5,000 people to show up on that dreary Saturday afternoon, but to their surprise, the Minnesota Women’s March far exceeded their expectations and made history as the largest political protest to ever occur in the state of Minnesota.
Speakers included twenty-four of Minnesota’s most influential women. Mayor Betsy Hodges, State Representative Illhan Omar and many more female leaders from the greater Twin Cities area marched alongside the rest of the protestors, leading a rally and firing people up to fight for equality and human rights.
Though this demonstration was a push in the right direction for those fighting the battle for equal rights, the protests and marches must not end here. President Trump has wasted no time during the first week of his administration. There have already been detrimental major decisions made by Trump, changing elements of the Affordable Care Act, limiting women’s rights to abortion, and lifting the block on the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
What we must do is keep fighting. Keep protesting. Keep raising our voices and telling our new government leaders that we simply won’t allow the discrimination and closed-mindedness to take over our country.
Check out the 10 Actions / 100 Days campaign that the Women’s March organizers have created in hopes of instilling lasting and positive change within our country. The movement will feature a recommended action for us to act on every ten days that backs up the beliefs of the Women’s March. For example, the first action is to send a postcard to your Senators telling them what is important to you and what your concerns are for the future of the United States.
The Women’s March was amazing. It was passionate. It was raw. But the fight for human rights does not end here, in fact, some might say it is just beginning.