Reactions from students who attended the Jan. 21 Women’s March: 

“I’m glad it sent the message that the people are not going to be silent during the next four years.”           – senior Molly Szczech 

“I think the march achieved what people wanted it to, it gave people a chance to come together as a community and raise awareness about many different frustrations. I marched with my friends.”              -sophomore Kaelin Campbell 

“What we did in the women’s march, I went in Oakland, is show people that we won’t sit and watch someone take our rights away, the rights of women along with other minorities. I think our goal was definitely achieved since millions of people attended hundreds of marches worldwide.” -sophomore Lilli Brien 

“I think [the march] is more about unity. I don’t think one march will ever change the intentions of the presidential office, but it will definitely show them how people won’t be quiet about it, and how many people are willing to come together in order to do so.” senior Sophia Landes

“I think the march was a positive step in the right direction to stand in solidarity with those who may be oppressed these next four years. It was a statement, and it’s important that we continue to make statements and take concrete action to ensure our voices are heard.” – senior Caroline Dunlap

“It felt really empowering to see the sheer number of people in Oakland and throughout the world that shared the same beliefs of inclusion and equality that I have. Seeing all the funny, creative signs was definitely my favorite part.” -senior Amelia Eldridge

“It was cool to be doing something because you are proud to be a woman. To be united like that, was such a cool feeling.” – senior Marisa Hodos 

“I decided to march because I support the causes that the march stands for and I want to show the new administration that people do not support their policies and that they will be opposed.” – junior Max West

“I have a lot of family members that are gay and I have friends and family that are different races and with this new president they’re discriminated against and not accepted, so I decided to march to stand up for them.” – sophomore Ivy Smith 

“I marched because I wanted to be a part of a movement that is fighting against trump and the sexist, racist and homophobic policies that he is promoting. I don’t have any criticisms, I think it was a really great event that made me really proud of the city that I live in. I think it achieved a lot because the movement was world wide and showed that people are uniting together to stand up against unjust policies.” – junior Zoe Adams 

“I marched because not only do I believe in women’s rights, I believe in human rights, and our president’s job is to represent all Americans, which he has failed to do. It felt absolutely incredible to be part of such a huge movement and I couldn’t be more proud of it. In the future, women will have equal rights and I will be able to say I was a part of it.”- sophomore Camille Creighton

“I went because I don’t believe that Trumps denial of global warming and plans for new oil pipelines are extremely concerning and may be detrimental to our species. I also went obviously because of his slanderous remarks towards women and minorities in general.” – junior Ethan ten Grotenhuis 

“I marched because it’s important to show the world that we are united especially with the current political climate.” – freshman Austen Elvekrog 

“I decided to march to show that the next generation matters and can make a difference. The more we stand up for what we believe in, the greater the chance people will listen. I was excited to be part of such a monumental movement and I thought it was so amazing how so many different people were able to come together to fight for a cause.” – freshmen Ani Feinberg 

“I thought it would be a really cool experience to see everyone being unified for one important cause.” – junior HannaMarie Hohener 

“In the past I haven’t really been involved with large movements, so marching was a super new experience. I have never been a part of something so big before. It made me feel proud to be part of such a large and powerful community, like I could finally identify with where I am from.” – junior Olivia Adams 

“It was an amazing feeling to be surrounded by thousands of people who were fighting for the same cause.” – sophomore Maxine Miller 

“I chose to march because I thought it would be a really cool experience, and I got to do it with my mom and my grandma, which was cool because it was three generations of women. I didn’t march to change anything, it was just with the community that there were a lot of people here together.” -freshman Julia Pappas 

“I’d say that with everything that’s been going on recently, it feels like there’s kind of nothing we can do, but us and our friends going just makes more people at a large seem like everyone was doing it all over the country. It made a big impact.” -sophomore Amelia Tolles 

“I think it’s really cool to be part of such a strong community of women, and I wouldn’t say that I’m a feminist or anything, but I believe in women’s rights and I think it’s a revolutionary thing to be part of that and it’s not going to ever happen again. It was really fun to experience it with my mom and seeing all the powerful women that live in the Bay Area.” -sophomore Roxy Moss 

“I wanted to go to the San Francisco Women’s March with my mom because I don’t like the way that women are being talked about in politics and in the media, and I thought that it was important to help make a statement with millions of other women across the country. The main thing I took away from being at the march was that there’s definitely a huge number of people who are willing to speak up against being disrespected and that huge protests can still be really peaceful.” – freshman Julie Ray 

“I marched to be an ally. There’s a quote that says ‘True peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice.’ You have to defend your rights and act on them to really have them.” – junior Genevieve Raushenbush

“The second reason we marched, which we realized when we got there, was for the unity because every single person that we talked to there was from somewhere else in the country and it was crazy because everyone seemed so different. You’d be so surprised that all these people were uniting around one common thing, we were all advocating together.” – junior Maya Guzdar 

“I’ve always wanted to stand up against racism, sexism, etc and the march gave me a chance to go out and fight for what I believe in as a community. I thought it was amazing how so many different kinds of people came together that day to stand up. It really inspired me to not give up hope or lose faith in the power of our people.” -freshman Emily Becker

“I liked the idea that it was called a ‘women’s march’ and that the general purpose was gender equality. But I hope in the future there are other issues, because obviously we can’t just focus on one thing. There are a lot of different issues that we’re going to have to face over the next four to eight years.” -senior Taylor Scofield

“I went to the Women’s March because I feel like Donald Trump is not a good representation of our country and I thought that it was important to show solidarity with other women and other marginalized groups. Going into an era where people voted for a man who is misogynistic, is racist, is islamophobic, we need to support each other and understand that we deserve respect, we deserve rights, we deserve control over ourselves, and that the election of Trump doesn’t change that, we just need to work a little harder for it.” -junior Emma Ziegler 

“I went because I felt that all women have been traditionally undervalued. White women have received legs up, but all women are still laboring under some form of discrimination whether they are black or white, or of Latin American descent or Asian descent or Filippino descent, whether they are born women as their natural gender or whether they have transitioned. Not all women have vaginas, and they need rights too. I went because it’s important to recognize these things and stand up for your fellow siblings whether they look like you or have the same genitalia as you.” -junior Grace Charron 

“I went to the march because I wasn’t very happy about the presidential election, and because my mom is actually an immigration lawyer, so her job has gotten a lot harder since Trump has started saying all this stuff about immigrants and how they shouldn’t be allowed in the US. It was really inspiring to see how many people came to the march, and to see how many people cared for this cause. It was fun, and I’m happy to have been a part of this story.” -sophomore Gabrielle Garcia 

“I participated and found it enjoyable. I feel like there was a strong connection and sense of community around the people who went to the march because we had a common goal and all spread support without judgement for each other. I hope this march will make people feel safer and make bullies realize that they aren’t very strong at all when there’s a whole team of people against their hate.”              – freshman Tessa Bloom 

“I went to the march because throughout the election I was disgusted by Trumps comments and actions and I wanted to show my support for the women who were and are going to be directly affected by his actions.” – sophomore Nina Tafapolsky 

“I marched because I don’t like Donald Trump and I wanted to do be apart of something that demonstrated that.” – sophomore Roni Shacker 

“I marched because it was an amazing opportunity to march alongside thousands of people to express unity and support for women’s rights. I found it inspiring to be a part of something so big.” -junior Lena Fischer 

“I went to the women’s march because there is power in numbers and I don’t want the progress America has made to be forgotten.”- senior Olivia Bott 

“Being in the march was unlike anything I had experienced before. I was able to participate in something much larger than myself and still feel like I was contributing. It was just really inspiring and motivating.” -junior Ellie Coleman

“It’s ridiculous to think that women deserve any less than any other human being.  Women shouldn’t need to stand up for their fundamental rights in the first place.” – junior Ethan Tung

“The march was a place where everyone could have a voice and march for a unified cause. Chants such as “their body, their choice” were empowering because I knew at that march that everyone respected people’s rights and I felt safe and included, even if I had never met the people.” – sophomore Gavan Dagnese