A couple months ago, a retired attorney and grandmother from Hawaii, Teresa Shook, shared a post on Facebook, calling for her fellow friends to join her in Washington D.C. to protest the outcome of the presidential election. Since that day, more than 200,000 people have registered to attend the demonstration, held the day after the President Elect’s inauguration. There are also sister marches happening all throughout the United States, and in more than 30 countries across the world. Wherever and whoever you are, you can participate.
Throughout his election campaign, Trump has insulted, objectified, disgraced, belittled and threatened women, people of diverse religious faiths, people of the LQBTQIA community, people of colour, people with disabilities and a list of other communities. The individuals who he has chosen to fill his cabinet and shape his administration hardly differ in their opinions and preferred actions.
In the spirit of democracy, and our most fundamental human rights; mentioned in both Article 20, stating all shall have the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees freedoms concerning expression, speech and assembly amongst other, thousands of people from virtually everywhere will join in to have their voices heard. Failing to make a difference by voting most definitely does not mean it is time to surrender. Protesting sends a message of resistance and self-determination, and ensures those in charge are aware that no peace, and no functional society can exist without there being justice and equality for all first. Equality cannot be achieved without recognizing our privileges and using them to help others, rather than using them as means to justify supremacism. It is time to stand up to oppression, no matter what shape or form it will come in, because change does not happen overnight and without action. As Margaret Mead once said, ‘’Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’’Taking part in this protest has been one of the best experiences of my life, and the turnout and coverage we got here in Vienna gave me hope that you're never too young to be part of something big, and this is definitely it. Even though this march is over now, we definitely cannot stop standing up for our rights. We've come a long way, but there is still a lot of progress to be made.
