The past weekend was the one-year anniversary of President Trump’s inauguration. One year ago from that weekend, not only was Trump sworn in, but an astounding number of women proceeded immediately afterwards to protest this moment.

From coast to coast, women marched with different chants and homemade signs and pieces of clothing. It seemed like every city was doing something for the Women’s March. However, pessimists and opponents of the Women’s March do have fair points. First of all, what good does a march do? What’s the point if you’re just yelling in the streets in an organized fashion, blocking traffic? Also, while annoying, still an important point: what exactly is this march for? American women have a lot of rights and are seen as equals in many ways compared to other places like Saudi Arabia. Is this just a bunch of whiners taking up public property and blocking the way?

Before answering those questions, I encourage you to consider the alternative of no marches. What would happen if, in a fit of rage or despair, people decided to use different platforms rather than a march? Could that entail something much worse than an organized crowd chanting and holding up signs for a few hours, demanding change or expressing frustration? How could that play out in comparison to how these marches play out? Who would this hurt or help?

While I by no means am typically one to say, “Well, it’s not as bad as the hypothetical; be grateful,” I definitely think it is worth taking a look at. I’m used to being told as a feminist that problems are not as nearly as bad here as they are in the Middle East and that I should be grateful for what I have. In that parallel stance, I don’t know that that’s a completely fair statement, but I think it’s worth thinking about, too.

Back to the Women’s March, though. Especially if you aren’t a hermit thriving off of the public content and dissent with contemporary politics like myself, it totally makes sense to raise this question. While we don’t have women’s rights at the forefront of your minds as we have come such a long and successful way from the past, the question awkwardly hovers when there is a casually crude remark made or an offensive advertisement or a terrible makeup campaign. There are also phrases that we say that we don’t even register are offensive until they’ve already been said.

Along with not understanding why women are marching is the question of relating this to feminism. If you aren’t a feminist, okay. I’m not here to ridicule you for that. The internet these days sometimes makes it seem as if it’s some rare feat to declare you aren’t a feminist and that you’re brave for doing such, when really that notion isn’t brave or that special at all. It’s similar to someone saying “I don’t work out” and making that seem like it’s a marvelous deal when a bunch of other people already don’t. Those people are there, and exist, but it’s not exactly worth an entire declaration, I don’t think.

Feminism is not meant to be a “dirty” word, or something negative. Feminism is supporting the equality of the sexes. A common misconception I hear a lot is about how women that proclaim feminism as a beacon of light can be “man-haters” or that they don’t support women who do enjoy and want the traditional housewife lifestyle. These people, in fact, are not feminists, and should not be thought of as the forefront of such a movement with so much potential to keep progressing and gaining ground even further than it has. People who scoff at men for being men, or are uncomfortable with some women not wanting to be scientists or have groundbreaking societal influence are misandrists, people who believe that women are better than men.

While I am a feminist, I do understand the sentiment of which some misandrists come from. It’s not fun to be followed down the street, harassed for not wanting to go out with someone, being cat-called, feeling pressured to fit a pre-developed notion of how women are or should be. I get it. But, that does not justify a movement in which women should disrespect men and see them as lesser humans as a whole for the actions of a few. Women shouldn’t be treated poorly or as subservient; why would it be justified to treat a man like that as well if we, as women, don’t like that in the first place?

This march, which has also inspired other marches and will most likely contribute to a generation of fierce, informed citizens that are up and coming is incredibly important. It is not in place to say that women are better than men or that women deserve to be treated better than a man. These marches are to point to the facts that in the past, women have not been treated as equals and it has taken far too long to start destroying the barrier of inequality. Women have come a long way, with getting the vote and being admitted to professional graduate schools and even serving as decade icons.

But while we have made so much ground, the work is never over, and the fight is not yet at its peak; there are still a lot of issues at hand to discuss, such as the debate of the wage gap and whether or not women should have the right to an abortion. Waves continue to come and go, and while sometimes messages may get muddled by the wrong people, the movement is here to stay. We fight these battles every day in our lives, and this march not only attests to that, but also protests against an executive that is notorious for being disrespectful or flagrant towards women.

Not to mention, this march is peaceful and invites everyone, regardless of gender or race, to join and march. This is something really cool in our culture to see, I think. Not because there is such a problem to address that it calls for a march, but because so many people care and see value in it that it has caught interest around the globe.

If you aren’t a feminist, I’m not asking you to even reconsider. I am not a radical on the streets with a torch headed to your house over it. However, I do ask that next time you hear of a march of do hear about feminism, at least consider the notions behind it before immediately rolling your eyes and shutting it out. By no means am I a Republican, but I at least want to hear the other side of the argument; this is along the lines of the same thing, especially in such a pivotal time.