31 powerful reasons people are protesting at the Women's March.
For the past, the present, and the future, people share their reasons for marching.
In an unprecedented rebuke to the inauguration of President Donald Trump, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets and marched on Washington, D.C. — and around the world — on Jan. 21, 2017.
On his first full day in office, the Women's March on Washington drew demonstrators from across the country — men, women, and children alike — to fight back against harmful rhetoric and campaign proposals Trump has promised.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters descend on Washington, D.C., for the Women's March. Photo by Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images.
The march, which comes amid a slew of new polls reflecting historically low favorability ratings for the 45th president, united members of many marginalized groups, from people of color and immigrants to LGBTQ Americans and survivors of sexual assault to members of the disabled community who created a virtual version of the march — all who felt targeted by the president throughout his 2016 campaign.
Using the hashtag #WhyIMarch on Twitter, many marchers expressed why they took to the streets. Here are 31 of their powerful responses:
1. This person is marching for his son, who idolizes Hillary Clinton.
2. This person is marching for undocumented immigrants, who deserve better.
3. This person is marching to pay her mother's selflessness forward.
4. This person is marching to take a stand for disability rights and respect.
5. This person is marching because she is enough.
6. This person is marching because she wants to do what's right for her child.
7. This person is marching because there's no excuse for inequality.
8. This person is marching because we should all have control over our own bodies.
9. The actor Melissa Benoist, marches because you just don't mess with Supergirl (or the woman who plays her).
10. This person is marching to be an ally to everyone who feels afraid.
11. This person is marching because women ... well, they're people, too.
12. This person is marching because the future depends on having good schools.
13. Little Miss Flint is marching because we all deserve clean drinking water.
14. This person is marching to feel rejuvenated once again.
15. This person is marching for trans rights.
16. This person is marching because "justice for all" means justice for all.
17. This person is marching for her granddaughter — and everyone else's, too.
18. This person is marching because she's basically everything Trump has attacked on the campaign trail.
19. This person is marching because equal rights shouldn't be controversial.
20. This person is marching for female veterans and those living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
21. This person is marching because of the women who came before her.
22. This person is marching because her family is as diverse as America itself.
23. This person is marching to take a stand against sexual assault.
24. This person is marching to put an end to gun violence.
25. These people are marching because the rights of all women are at stake, no matter their jobs.
26. This person is marching because we simply cannot give up now.
27. CNN's Sally Kohn is marching because these are not the words of a leader.
28. This person is marching because the future depends on it.
29. Actress Lupita Nyong'o marches because she won't let the world rob her of her dignity.
30. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) marches as a message to politicians who want to deny people access to affordable care at Planned Parenthood.
31. This person marches because she survived the attack at Sandy Hook and won't stop now.
Human rights are under attack. Women's rights are under attack. The women, the men, the boys, and the girls who march today are sending a powerful message at those who seek to deny others those rights.
No matter who you voted for (or if you voted) in November's election, you have a right to make your voice heard — and around the world, hundreds of thousands of people are doing just that. Change is possible, and protests do work.
The 31 stories shared here are a small sampling of the wide range of reasons people have taken to the streets in dissent. When things look tough, let us look to those voices, let us join in their chorus.
A woman in Barcelona, Spain, marches for women's rights. Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
