Just one day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Friday, January 20, women and men across the country took part in the Women’s March on Washington, and in many cities throughout the nation. Along with an estimated crowd of 70,000 to 100,000 people in Portland came many La Salle students, with at least 15 members of the school community showing up at the march.

When asked why she had attended the march, sophomore Makayla Vu said, “Women deserve equal rights and getting the word out is important.”

Sophomore Mimi Kohnstamm said that she had attended the march “to make my voice heard for women’s rights.”

The purpose of these marches was to spread awareness of the need for equality, and bring a sense of community and empowerment to not only women, but also people of different races, religions, backgrounds and experiences. The marches were meant to be peaceful, and to bring people together who had the same beliefs and hopes for the world.

Many questioned the outcome and overall effectiveness of the marches. However, these marches did not take place to try to take President Trump out of office or as a threat to but instead to “send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights.”

When asked what she was hoping would be accomplished by the marches, sophomore Emma Sheets said that “they raise awareness and we are able to move forward as a whole.”

Senior Winnie Gregory also said during the march, “I am hoping to feel like I have a supportive community around me, because after the election I just felt like this country isn’t for me. If this is what we chose this isn’t for me. [This march] feels much more supportive.”

The efforts to affirm the importance of equality have not stopped. Organizers for the Women’s March on Washington have started a new campaign called 10 Actions for the first 100 Days. This campaign takes action on a controversial issue every ten days, by giving an activity on their website for people to participate in to continue spreading awareness. The first action so far is to write a letter to a senator, about an issue that matters to you, how you are hoping it will be solved, and how you’re going to fight to solve it.

Whether or not people think the Women’s March on Washington helped accomplish anything, it is clear that they made a statement. More than 5 million people worldwide participated in marches, making it clear that there is a significant number of people hoping for change.

Creative commons photo source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jariceiii/31638371133