On Saturday, January 21, the day after President Donald Trump was inaugurated, millions of women, men, and children from all across the United States marched to show their solidarity with each other and their opposition to the new administration in Washington. Starting at the intersection of Independence Avenue and Third Street SW near the U.S. Capital, this march was for all people, regardless of gender, who believe that women’s rights are human rights. Among those marching were teachers and faculty including Shanti Elliott, Lisa Nielsen, Sunnie Haikawa, and Jeanne Barr, alongside juniors Chloe Wagner, Karoli Esparza, Priscilla Roman, Morenlike Fabiyi, and Natalie Braye.

The march was not just for women, but also for the countless undocumented immigrants, LGBTQ community, and others who feel this new administration is having or will have detrimental effects on the country.

“Being at the March on Washington was important to me personally because I believe that men and more generally everyone should be responsible for solving problems in society,” sophomore Josh Palles said about being a part of the group from Parker that went to the march. “This is part of why I think that a lot of other men went to the march; this, and to support their peers.”

Throughout his campaign and since, Trump has said discouraging, demeaning, and counterfactual things about women. Trump has said that “putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing.”

Sophomore Abby Smith talks about her experience standing up against this disruptive administration.   

“I think that that millions of men and women across the world standing together against the demeaning things Trump has said and done over the course of his campaign is an incredible example of democracy,” Smith said on her experience at the March on Washington. “And standing up for the truth that I think the values the United States should hold.”

After Trump was elected, students at Parker were confused, feeling hopeless, and in a lot of cases crying. Wagner heard about the Women’s March through social media, and with Esparza, Roman, Fabiyi, and Braye, they were put in touch with Chicago Women Take Action (CWTA). CWTA is a group of women activists of all ages working on the local, national, and international level to promote women leaders and secure the health and wellbeing of women.

The group attended meetings at the house of the president of the CWTA, Marilyn Katz. In December, along with many of the Washington organizers, the group told the CWTA that they wanted to start a youth movement.

The group then worked with the CWTA, and the Illinois Chapter for the Women’s March. The Illinois Chapter for the Women’s March, which added the group to their Facebook and also added the group to all of their organizing. From there, the group found buses and sponsors.

On January 20, inauguration day, the group, together with other high school students from Latin, Kenwood, Jones, and other schools, left from Beverly, on an overnight bus ride. They arrived in DC Saturday morning and marched for six hours. Directly after the march, they left and arrived in Chicago Sunday morning.

Before, many of these high schoolers couldn’t predict how the march would go. “With marches, you never really know what is going to happen,” Wagner said. “I am hoping it will be a peaceful, and a very historical march. I personally have never been to something this big, and most teenagers haven’t.”

The group of juniors gained recognition from DNAinfo, a Chicago neighborhood news paper; The Windy City Times, a news network for “Chicago’s gay, lesbian, bi, trans, and queer community since 1985”; and “You and Me,” a show on WCIU, about events and people around the Chicagoland and Illinois area. Wagner and Fabiyi also appeared on a WBEZ News radio broadcast.

Along with creating posters for the march, the group of juniors also made some “Pussyhats,” pink hats knitted or sewn to create cat ears. The mission, according to the Pussyhat Project’s website, is to “provide the people of the Women’s March on Washington D.C. a means to make a unique collective visual statement which will help activists be heard.”

With a big banner saying “Illinois Youth Grabs’ Em By Da,” along with a red-painted cat face held across their bodies, Esparza, Roman, Wagner,  and Fabiyi marched with other students. Teachers and Parker faulty including Elliott, Nielsen, Haikawa, and Barr accompanied the students to the march, brought signs that said, “This is Why We March,” and “My Body, My Choice, My Country.”

Even though the march is over, the fight is not over. The Women’s March organizers thanked all of the millions of people around the world who came together to raise their voices to the new administration, but also announced the launch of their new campaign: 10 Actions for the first 100 days, which every 10 days, they will take action on an issue.

“Can we hang in there, listen and pay attention, reflect, and speak up?” Elliott said. “Rather than either ‘moving on’ and accepting a weakened democracy, staying at home and being a Facebook activist, or hanging up our pussy hats after the march?”