More than a million people flooded the streets of Washington D.C. at the Women’s March Saturday, Jan. 21. They marched, not to support the new president, but to express that after nearly a century of fighting for the right to vote, women are still fighting for their right to live with pride and dignity.

People of different ethnicities, genders, sexualities and ages came together to support the Women’s March, but there were mixed reactions.

To start with, the president himself did not have a positive attitude toward the protest. As a responsible, new president of the United States, he tweeted on Sunday, “Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.” President Trump seems to have a little misunderstanding about the march. Obviously, it wasn’t specifically about the election.

It was about the people who live in this country despite the color of their skin or their religion. The rally was a symbol of solidarity that millions of Americans have shown toward the diversity of this country. It was in opposition to his views on women and minorities.

In his next tweet, President Trump did sound like he understood: “Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don’t always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views.”

The protest wasn’t just a march in Washington D.C. — it was a march across the world with millions of people participating. There were even marches across South Dakota in Sioux Falls, Pierre, Rapid City and Vermillion.

The marchers understand that the president of the United States is an important position, not just because the United States is a superpower and we influence the rest of the world, but because the people who live in this country deserve their rights.

People from around the globe not only showed their support for minorities who have been verbally attacked by Trump, but made a powerful statement. The march was a strong message to the president of the United States that this world is united together with people of every gender, religion, sexual orientation and skin color. Love, freedom and equality is for all.

 

Palak Barmaiya is a journalism major and can be reached at [email protected]