On January 21, 2017, women made history. We marched through the streets of Los Angeles, Washington, Texas, Antarctica, Arizona, Georgia, London, Guam, and Hawaii along with countless other locations around the globe. 4,956,000 people around the world chose that day to scream and shout out against the injustices women have faced for years on end. On January 21, 2017, an army of girls and boys wearing pink knitted hats and carrying empowering posters took over the world.

It was the middle of the afternoon when my family and I joined a crowd of people who were anxiously awaiting a spot on a train at our metro stop. Three trains came and went, each looking like the inside of a pink tinted sardine can, before all five of us wedged ourselves into a spot against the door. An hour later the doors of the train opened, releasing the sea of people, which had in no way decreased, into the dimly lit station on 7th street in downtown. A few steps later, above ground, we became immersed into a celebration of humanity: a party for all types of women who had all different ethnicities, religions, body types, sexualities, and personalities. It was as if the city of Los Angeles was crying out towards the world’s injustices with a passion never before seen. Each street that you walked upon held beautiful people who were all united as if they had known each other for years. A drum circle played lively music while women dressed in all white danced along the streets with the marchers. A group of Native American descendants were dressed in beautifully feathered and beaded garments, three women wore replicas of the suffragettes “Votes for Women” uniforms, and many other individuals proudly displayed their native dress as they marched. 750,000 people marched in Los Angeles for hours proudly fighting for their voices to be heard.

News headlines across the country remarked upon this event’s purpose in several different ways; they called it a march against Trump, a march for women’s rights, racial equality, religious equality, and many others. Despite contrary beliefs, the world did not march that day in an attempt to kick out America’s 45th president. We did not march in the name of hate. 4,956,000 people marched that day not for one reason, but for all of them. We took to the streets to make our voices heard. We told the world that we would not accept oppression from any man including America’s president. We told the world that we are all deserving of education, the right to vote, and certainly respect. The world, and this country, has become incredibly judgmental when it comes to what color someone’s skin is, what religion they practice, what language they speak, or what country they come from. A person of Muslim descent is not a terrorist; they are a human being. A person of African American descent isn’t a felon; they are a human being. A person of Caucasian descent isn’t a rich snob or a “white girl”; they are a human being.  On January 21st that is exactly what we set out to prove.

I sincerely hope that the world and this country has walked away a better place for all of its people no matter what. Let us be a place where we accept all people, even our president, despite his many flaws because we all are flawed but we are also all capable of acceptance. In these next four years and beyond I urge everyone to be kind, non-judgmental, and beautiful human beings because in all honesty, the world needs more of those.