Students Turned Protesters at the Women’s March Rally

Over 2.9 million people throughout the United States and millions more around the globe took part in the Women’s March, a rally for gender equality, women’s rights and against the newly instated president of the United States Donald J. Trump Saturday, January 22nd.

The march began in Los Angeles at 9 o’clock in the morning with people surrounding all sides of Pershing Square and the neighboring Olive, Hill, and 5th streets. Many were wearing pink in support of feminist ideals, completely inundating Downtown Los Angeles with pink beanies and shirts. Several chants could be heard throughout the protest including “This is what democracy looks like!” and “Not My President!”.

“The vibe was amazing, being surrounded by so many people, black, white, men, and women, all there for the same reason you are. It makes you feel like there is hope for humanity,” said junior Veronica Zamora.

The roster of high-profile speakers/protesters included government officials like Mayor Eric Garcetti and celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Natalie Portman. The march also included politically active students from many different classes and clubs on campus including members of Rancho’s Feminist Club.

“It was amazing to see so many people united for one cause, it’s truly inspiring because it shows how real this whole situation is,” said senior and Feminist Club Member Maryam Vielmas.

The amount of protesters in Los Angeles varies according to the source. According to the Los Angeles Police Department it was a crowd of over 500,000, while the organizers of the event stated 750,000 people were in attendance. The March was held from Pershing Square to Los Angeles City Hall, approximately 1.2 mile distance.

“There were a lot of people, too many. But I’m really glad Mr. Gillespie offered extra credit because if not I wouldn’t have gone through this empowering experience,” said junior Sarah Manzo.

Junior Kaye Tolentino, who also attended the rally said, “It was really fun, I got there really early with a bunch of my friends. We literally saw the direction of the march change, it was crazy. The whole experience was so overwhelmingly powerful, the amount of people there was surreal. I would definitely do it again.”

n short, the Women’s March was an impactful protest that left a huge mark on not just people in Los Angeles, or at Rancho Dominguez Prep, but worldwide— spreading equality and unity.