By: Luc
Luc lives in Elmhurst, IL and has participated in our custom programs since 2014.
It has been one month and 2 days since I, a teenage boy from the suburbs of Chicago, marched on Washington with my mother and 1.2 million other men and women. Looking back, it was rough, it really was, I won’t lie to you. The bus ride was 12 hours, the seats were cramped, I knew nobody but my mom (and had to trust them with my safety when we got there), I was the only boy on the bus, and we were packed like sardines for an hour and a half before the March even started.
Looking back, however, I would no doubt do it again, and again, and again. I would do this because I got to stand up for what I believe in with other people who were doing the same. So, the March was rough, but it was the most unique and awe inspiring thing I have ever seen in my entire life.
There was so much passion in every inch of Washington, there was nobody walking beside me who looked like they didn’t want to be there, and everyone was united under one mind set, that of caring and kindness. I mean that’s why I went. My mom’s sign said “It’s about kindness & compassion”, and on the other side, “It’s about human dignity”.
I went to make Mr. Trump aware that I care, and that I am caring, and that we need more kindness, and that there are problems that we believe in that he needs to address. I wasn’t there to say he was illegitimate, I wasn’t there in hatred, I was there in kindness and compassion. The roar of people screaming out about their rights, the rights of others, and the rights of our Earth was a sound like no other, and a sound I will never forget. If you have ever been to a concert for Kanye West, Future, Chance the Rapper, Coldplay, or even TØP, you haven’t seen anything like a million women who are fired up and want what they believe in.
After such a chaotic month and a half after the election, being there in D.C. restored my pride in America and the world. To me it was one elaborate announcement to ourselves and the world saying “Hey, we’re not all how you perceive us, and most of us are with you!” If ever given a chance to stand up for what you think is right, Democrat or Republican, I would 100% recommend doing so. Take action, put in the work, be a part of the movement. I’m sure glad I did.