By Erin P

January was a month of history. Donald Trump was inaugurated into office on January 20, making him the 45th president of the United States, and women made history the very next day on January 21.

Over five million women worldwide and 500,000 in Washington D.C. alone, marched together to make their voices heard to the country, the world, and the President of the United States.

Junior Clara Kissling was one of those people standing on Capitol Hill. “The powerful energy from the crowd that was there was unforgettable, walking and chanting with that large of a crowd was mind blowing,” she said.

The women marched and protested to protect legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women’s rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, the natural environment, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, and workers’ rights.

This event was created the day after elections back in November of 2016. Teresa Shook of Hawaii created a Facebook page organizing a march of protest in D.C. and the idea took off. People from around the country made their way to D.C. to join the march after his inauguration.

Not everyone could make the trip to the Capitol, so they showed their feelings a little closer to home. The state of Michigan was host to multiple events that took place in Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Detroit. One of Central’s students, junior Katie Percha, went out to Lansing to practice her freedom of speech. She said, “It was a liberating experience and it felt like everyone was advocating for a great common cause.”

It wasn’t only Walled Lake Central students that went to the marches, teachers joined as well. Math teacher Rob Osterman attended the event in Lansing. “It was exciting, humbling, and a call to continue to improve,” he recalled. Osterman carried a sign with him that said, “Real men think consent is sexy.” About his sign, Osterman explained, “What makes me mad is not that people are seeing me with the sign, it’s that a sign like that is actually necessary in today’s world.”
Many people took the time out of their lives to participate in this historical event, but was was most shocking is the amount of participants that were under voting age. Because they didn’t get the chance to vote, they want to make sure their voices are heard by everyone far and wide because they will be the future of America.