The train ride on to the January 21 women’s march in Chicago was squished shoulder to shoulder, pocketbook to pocketbook, and pussyhat to pussyhat. A loud sea of pink took over Millennium Park on the hottest day of 2017 in Chicago so far. From Michigan to Jackson, it was impossible for any car to drive through or any bank to open. While it was anticipated that the Chicago March would have between 50,000 and 70,000 people attend, when the march began there were over 250,000 angry and upset yet hopeful people marching for what was important to them.

Several different chants buzzed through the city that day.  Most were about newly inaugurated President Donald Trump or alluded to him. “My body, my choice” and, “This is what democracy looks like” were the most popular.

I have not been to many marches or protests in my life, but I can confidently say that this was the most polite march in history. There was little shoving through crowds. Every sign made was complimented. I had conversations with the people I was walking next to. Every time someone shouted, the rest of the crowd would cheer with enthusiasm, and marchers reminded others during the rally to not step on the grass. A great many of the police officers were women, and they cheered on the marchers as they shuffled us in the right direction.

President Trump is only the third president of my lifetime, but I knew it wasn’t ordinary how the country reacted to his election. I knew that I had to march. My mom was even more adamant about it, originally suggesting going to D.C. right after I finished my physics final. There were so many ideas going around after Trump won about how to help with what he threatened to change. To me, attending the Chicago women’s march was a jumping off point for how to support my vision and others’ of the shape of this changing country.

I originally thought that the crowd was going to be made up of mostly women. However to my surprise there was a huge number of men that joined their girlfriends, wives, daughters, and sons in marching. This was a march meant not just for women but for everyone that wanted to take hold of their future.

In addition to women’s rights signs, there were many showing support for other causes that people believed were threatened by Trump’s words and promises. Immigration and the LGBTQ+ community were greatly represented. Signs making fun of Trump got a lot of the attention. #FreeMelania was a popular one.

The number of people that showed up to the march was extraordinary. In fact, the march was officially canceled for safety reasons after organizers realized how large it had gotten — there was absolutely no sense of personal space. Although the march was cancelled, the masses continued to march down other roads around Michigan avenue. The pace of the march was excruciatingly slow, however, and we only made it a block before getting on the train to go home.

My voice was gone for the rest of the afternoon.

The unity I’d experienced was so special. Every one there was angry and scared by the results of this year’s election, but the community of a quarter of a million people in Chicago fighting for the same causes gave me a sense of hope – hope that for the next four years we will continue protesting and upholding democracy. And not only in the next four years but as long as we still face these challenges. I believe that we will win. We will win so much that we’ll get sick of winning.