While the world spins on and history is being made, two days before the inauguration, my sister turned seventeen.

My baby sister is probably one of the most unique, loving people in the whole entire world (obviously everyone thinks this about their sister, but I’m the only one who actually, really really means it). She is undeniably spunky, learning that her wit and creativity were her strongest features. Not only that, from a very young age, our mother taught us that we had the ability to always speak our minds, to continuously enhance our education, and to always strive to be better individuals. I have never seen those things better exemplified than through my sister. She took those qualities and has become one of the strongest, most loving people I have ever met.

After celebrating my beautiful sister’s birthday (she’s my best friend, the adjectives I use to describe her are necessary), I spent the next day driving back to school. Disoriented and overwhelmed, I began to worry for my sister, a young woman growing up in a time where the president was a hateful man who speaks words of harassment, degrading women, repeatedly attempting to make his misogynist ways normal in our society. While I was upset that I would have to endure this presidency, I was more scared for my little sister. She would have to grow up with a president who believes her intelligence holds no power, and that her value is only as tangible as her physical beauty. She would have to grow up in a world where injustice may very well become the norm.

But thankfully, the day of the inauguration ended, and on January 21st, we watched thousands of people marching down the streets of Washington, New York, and other cities of the United States, all standing up for the rights of women in our nation. It was estimated that Washington had three times as many people at the Women’s March than at Trump’s inauguration, making it a monumental day in history for women.

The Women’s March, with its focus on Americans coming together, made it very obvious that we would not stand in silence if the new administration threatened our basic freedoms or advances made in the past. This day seemed like a jubilant relief after the gloomy experience of the inauguration just a day before. The message of the march rang clear as generations of people, both men and women, supported not only each other, but the progress seen in our country.

This same day, I received a text from my sister, with a picture attached showing pretty script lettering with the words “Girls just wanna have fun—damental rights.” The text asked me if I thought that it would be okay for her to post on social media during the marches since she couldn't attend herself.

I couldn’t be more proud--of my sister, of the people in the United States who desire change, of the women who are trying to make a difference in the world around them. While Trump may be president, it has been made very clear that women will not stand for this treatment. My sister, who will one day be an incredible leader in our country, will join the ranks of these strong and independent women who will not tolerate misogynistic behavior.

As the unprecedented rallies demonstrated, a revolution in the pattern of politics is occurring. Never before has there been this much uproar seen so immediately after a president has taken office. This march symbolized the love and hope of the people that I so desperately want my baby sister to grow up knowing. I have no doubt that the political activism seen on Saturday will be carried through the next election and through many people’s lives as the solidarity lives on.

This is the world I want my sister to grow up in.