A Brief History
On Saturday, January 21, 2017, about 15,000, mostly female, protesters took to the streets of Cleveland, Ohio. I am a recently graduated, college-educated woman who participated in these protests. Although I do not have many good pictures of the event, as I mostly took pictures to show crowd size, I nevertheless wish to share and show what I experienced on a particularly historic Saturday in January with the readers of this site.
Digging Deeper
The Women’s March was a positive experience. Everyone I encountered as seen in the pictures below seemed to spread the message of inclusivity.
It was really neither a pro-abortion march nor an anti-Trump march. Many of the women I know, including me, are upset that Donald Trump was elected president despite his own admission on tape that he sexually assaulted women.
In my opinion, Mr. Trump and his administration have shown just in the time pre-inauguration to his first week in office that they do not respect minorities including women, black people, Muslim people, refugees, the poor, and LGBT+ people. It is disturbing for numerous Americans and others around the world who have taken part in similar protests. Indeed, our march in Cleveland was one of hundreds that occurred not just across the United States but also in over 80 countries that included millions of women as well as men who protested mostly peacefully in an unprecedented global act of protest.
Nevertheless, I still contend that the march was not simply an anti-Trump march. My mom, my aunt, two of my cousins, and I went to the march because we were horrified that a campaign that disrespected minorities and blamed them for America’s problems was nevertheless successful and that many of the hard-won rights we have accumulated might be eroded. We marched because we love America, we love Americans, and we do not want anyone to feel like their country does not want or respect them anymore. As women, we also do not want all of the health care measures (like preventative care, birth control, etc.) or equal legal protection to end so easily. In light of the controversial refugee ban and repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which will cause an estimated tens of thousands to die each year, I am glad I marched. I hope that it gives other Americans and my elected leaders the courage to challenge any politician’s disturbing and hateful plans as well as the ideology that it is okay to be bigoted against the “correct” people.
Question for students (and subscribers): Did you participate in any of these protests? If so, please let us know in the comments below about your experiences. If you disagree with my stance, please also let me know why below in the comments section below this article.
If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
For more information, please see The Plain Dealer.