‘This is what democracy looks like’

WSU students travel to D.C. for Women’s March on Washington

Thousands of protesters, in the largest protest in history, painted the National Mall pink with their “pussy hats” in the exact same place where others went to watch President Donald Trump be inaugurated the day before for the Women’s March on Washington.

Among those protesters were a group of students from Wichita State who endured a 20 hour bus ride to get to The Capitol and join others who also came from across the nation to protest the new administration.

We all came together for a purpose and that purpose was to make it known that there are issues going on that need attention,” Janelle Jeffrey, a graduate student studying social work, said.

According to the march’s organizers, almost or more than a million people showed up for the march while about another million to two million marched across the nation and overseas. Jeffrey believes that the number of people who participated was the real statement for the march.

“Even though the march went in like three different ways because the crowd was so big, it was amazing because we all were there, we all had something specific we were fighting for or we were just fighting for general human and women’s rights.”

One of the specific issues some were marching for was sexual assault awareness, something that was widely discussed during the 2016 election after the Access Hollywood tapes with Trump.

“As a victim of sexual assault, that is something I will continue to live with, and struggle with for the rest of my life,” sophomore India Morgan said. “The damage that puts someone through is very very very hard to overcome. The feeling of being used, damaged and disgusting doesn’t end some days. Having someone lead our nation who thinks sexual assault is no big deal, will not prevent that from happening in the future. It is simply making it socially acceptable. It shouldn’t just receive a shrug of the shoulders.”

Morgan also marched for transgender rights – something that is personal to her family.

“My little sister is transgender and I want her to be able to go through life thinking that the world is a beautiful place with several opportunities; not that she’s unwanted for being the truest version of herself and that people are cruel.”

While the march did bring awareness to the many issues that were represented at the march, it’s still just the beginning according to Sam Miller-Gott, a graduate student at Wichita State.

“It was the first step of many to come in the years ahead toward equality for all,” Gott said.