Waves of pink take the streets. An ocean of hands grip posters as they are waved around. Voices flood across every corner of the world, creating what will be known as one of the largest marches in American history.
Jan. 21 marked the day of the 2017 Women’s March where thousands of people grouped together in various cities to rally for many issues, all based on equality. Some of these cities included Washington, D.C., Denver, and Omaha.
“I just want to support women around the world and fight back. I hope people see that there are people fighting and still against this,” sophomore Leo Murphy said.
Marchers ranged from the elderly to small children. Many MN students were among those who rallied. According to the “Omaha World-Herald,” an overall estimated number of at least 12,000 people showed up to the Women’s March on Omaha.
“The amount of people who showed up today is really inspiring because I think it shows how we can be united, even in the face of such adversity,” senior Erika Llano said.
Students had various reasons of their own for protesting at the Women’s March.
“I am marching because it is something I believe in and I feel like I can make a difference. I hope it’ll show just how many of us there are and how many people are willing to fight for this cause,” sophomore Isabella Wright said.
Thousands of people across Nebraska huddled together around the Centurylink Center as they waited to start the march.
“The energy I got from everyone was excitement and overall positivity. Everyone was there for a reason and a purpose,” Murphy said.
At approximately 6 p.m., people set out to march across downtown with their signs held up high. Before the march began, everyone was given the chance to decorate and create signs of their own.
“My sign said ‘Girl Power’ because it was short and easy for people to read but also summed up what the march meant to me—girls and women are powerful and resilient, and we will fight for what we believe in,” Llano said.
Throughout the hour long march, various cheers broke out as the voices of the marchers became one. Cheers such as “Love Trumps Hate” and “Equal Rights, Equal Pay” were most common among the march. Protesters even broke out in song, singing “Roar” by Katy Perry.
“Two chants that really stuck with me were ‘Say it loud, Say it Clear’ and ‘Women’s Rights are Human Rights.’ They were short but had enough impact,” Murphy said.
As people began making their way back to the Centurylink Center, a few thousand piled into the ballroom to listen to activist speakers. These included, but were not limited to, Danielle Conrad, executive director of the ACLU, Eris Koleszar, founder of the Omaha Girls Who Code, and Meg Mikolajczyk, the Public Affairs Manager and Staff Attorney from Planned Parenthood.
The night ended after a brief concert by Jocelyn and Edem Soul, and though people dispersed slowly out of the event after a long night, their hearts and messages remained strong.