Since the 1st Women’s March took place I had been longing to exercise my First Amendment right alongside like-minded people. When the march came around again in 2018 I had every intention of going, yet due to the fact that I did not have a car and my parents not wanting to go to an event that they thought would be full of hardcore angry feminists, I did not go. But when the Women’s March annoucned its 2019 theme, “Truth to Power” and with everything else that had occured since Trump’s unfortunate win, I knew I had to be there. So I planned a month ahead by asking for the day off at work, looking up an inspiring cute quote for my poster, and planning an outfit with my sister and when Saturday, January 19, 2019 finally came around the corner I was soo ready!
My Expectations vs. Reality
Before going to the Women’s March my expectations were that it would be a crowded crazy event, with the majority of attendees being angry 30-something year old women and some millennials, yelling slogans supporting abortion and condemming toxic masculinity. And with it being in LA, I expected a bigger Latina presence, but to my surprise it was a bit more different. The attendees were not just women, but men too, and lots of them! There were fathers marching with their daughters, brothers marching with their sisters, and husbands marching with their wives. There were children, teenagers, adults, and old people. And it was very diverse, although there was a great amount of Latinx presence like expected there were also a lot of white, black, Asian, and Hindi people there. The LGBTQ+ community and the Indiginious People community were also very well represented.
What shocked me the most was the surprising number of people there that were over 50 years old. It was surprising because when I think about a march like the Women’s March, it’s very much millennial-orientated, and millennials and old people are not usually on the same side. Yet, it makes sense for many of them to be there today after years of witnessing the same mistakes being made by the government over and over again and with everything that Trump has been doing wrong.
My Favorite Part
I think the part I enjoyed best was being side by side with people I knew shared a common belief that all women deserve equal rights. I may be exaggerating when I say that I felt a total sense of calm as I walked down the streets of LA reflecting on all the things that have happened with regard to politics and social inequality, but its true! I enjoyed the fact that my sister and I got to bond throughout the march while we read everyones’ posters and took pictures and videos of the event. Upon reaching the end point my sister and I felt a sense of accomplishment as if we had just done something huge and in a way, we did- we contributed to a small part of the history of Women Empowerment in America.
Final Thoughts
All in all, I had a wonderful experience, I will certainly be going back next year! I encourage others to go and if the Women’s March is not your thing, then find a cause that you believe in and become an activist for it!
There are a number of organizations that support not only women’s empowerment, but also immigrants, Indigenious People, the LGBTQ+ community, People of Color, Animal and Wildlife protection, and Environmental protection such as:
- WOMEN’S GLOBAL EMPOWERMENT FUND
- CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
- WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL
- SCHOOL GIRLS UNITE
- TIME’S UP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
- EQUALITY NOW
- AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL
- UNITED WE DREAM
- THE YOUNG CENTER FOR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
- FAMILIES FOR FREEDOM
- PFLAG
- GLAAD
- BLACK GIRLS CODE
- BLACK ALLIANCE FOR JUST IMMIGRATION
- BLACK LIVES MATTER
- AMERICAN INDIAN BUSINESS LEADERS
- AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND
- WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY
- PAWS
- WILDLIFE ALLIANCE
- SIERRA CLUB
- NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY
- GREENPEACE
So get out there and become an activist!