The Women’s March gave mil- lions of people worldwide the opportunity to march as a form of expressing their concern for human rights. Led by a march on Washington D.C., the series of marches took place on January 21.

The event began as e Women’s March on Washington 2017 and evolved to include hundreds of sister marches across the globe. The primary motive was to raise awareness for women’s rights and gender equality, something that concerns junior Rebekah Moses.

“I believe that all women should have a right to their own body. It is not the government’s decision of what women do in their own personal lives,” Moses said.

The marches took place the day a er President Donald Trump’s inauguration to highlight how some feel his presidency may jeopardize not only women’s rights but those of other minorities.

Junior Madison Curtis attended the Boston, Massachusetts march claiming she marched on behalf of women, African-Americans, the disabled and more.

“Personally, I was disgusted by the divisive rhetoric Trump used in his campaign, and my hope is that the event made a strong national statement that we will not allow our democratic ideals to change,” Curtis said.

English teacher Tracey Barlow’s decision to march was also motivated by the new administration.

“As an educator who is married to an African-American Muslim man and as the mother of two bi-racial young men, one of whom is autistic, Donald Trump has threatened the people I most love and value in the entire world: my family, my colleagues and the students I have had the privilege of teaching over the past 25 years,” Barlow said.

Alongside Barlow was multi-generational activist Judy Borden who has long supported peaceful protests.

“I am 75 years young and have seen a wonderful evolution of human rights in our country: Roe v. Wade, Same Sex Marriage, etc. I have participated in marches against the Vietnam War and made my voice heard by our local, state and national elected officials. It will be very important for those of us who participated in the march to determine next steps to move forward,” Borden said.

The Washington D.C. march, hosted about 40 speakers including activists, artists and entertainers. Among the marchers were psychology teacher Mike Baxer and his family.

“I choose to march primarily because my daughter has shown a genuine passion for the cause of gender equality. I wanted to nurture her passion and thought going to the march would be the best way to do this. Along with gender equality and respect, I was motivated by issues like gun control, protecting the environment, healthcare, religious tolerance and LGBTQIA rights,” Baxer said.

On a global scale, the movement included over 600 marches in 81 countries, with at least one march on every continent.

“The event was unbelievable. e outpouring of support was over- whelming, and not just in D.C., but in cities all around this country and the world. 56 nations hosted marches. A statement was clearly made to the new administration that these issues are important to a large number of people here and around the world,” Baxer said.

Locally, Connecticut hosted five marches held in East Haddam, Old Saybrook, Salisbury, Stamford and Hartford. Senior Olivia Herz attended the Hartford march.

“Women, men and children, all came together at the capital and peacefully protested. We made signs, we were chanting, and we were able to hear a handful of amazing speeches,” Herz said.

The marches were heavily influenced by modern and social media. Not only did social media raise awareness of national marches but mediums like Facebook and Instagram allowed marchers to share their experiences.

“I can easily say that today was one of the single most inspiring days of my life. We, as the people of America, must ght for what
we believe is right. We must stay true to our future generations of Americans, [and] most important- ly, spread equality throughout our nation,” Moses wrote on Facebook.

Now that the marches have ended, e Women’s March organization continues to spread their message through the selling of merchandise. With a goal of selling 999 items, the organization is al- ready over 8,200 sales.

“The event was honestly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was awesome to be surrounded by people who shared many of the same viewpoints as me and were also looking to make a change in our world,” Curtis said.