Individuals of all backgrounds came to march. “There were white middle aged men in business suits that I never would have thought would be at a women’s march,” Nicole Pruett, senior, said. She felt it was powerful to see such a diverse crowd united for one cause.
The Women’s March on St. Louis was one that will go down in history. Thousands of women and men gathered on January 21 to support the rights of women and much more.
This movement focuses on a wide array of issues. Marchers were focused on equality for women of all cultures, relationships with foreign countries, abortion rights and even issues within the LGBTQ community. With a tense political climate, many minority groups fear for their rights. It is one thing to know about the Women’s March, but it is more insightful to hear from those who actually attended.
Maryville students gathered alongside other marchers. Among the students was Nicole Pruett who marched to stand up for what she believes in. She was there to mainly focus on the inequality of women. According to Pruett feminism is not a matter of women being greater than men, but a fight for the equality of the genders. She feels that the feminist movement needs to be better represented in our society. According to Pruett others need to be educated on how issues of inequality impact women of diverse backgrounds.
“I want to be paid the same as a male is paid for doing the same job,” said Pruett.
The protest was peaceful as crowd members held signs to show support for the issues they feel are the most important. According to The St. Louis Post Dispatch, there were no arrests at the march.
Tatum Sharp, sophomore, attended to show support for women’s rights and to educate others. According to Sharp, she marched to stand up for those who are not as privileged as her. She believes women deserve equal rights, especially minority women. “Black Lives Matter was represented. The LGBTQ community was represented really well. It was awesome,” Sharp said. She feels that the Black Lives Matter movement is one of the most important in improving our social climate.
“The best part for me was seeing little kids make their own signs,” Sharp said. “This little girl had a sign that said ‘I can be anything.’” Sharp was inspired by seeing the whole crowd come together and show love to each other.
According to Sharp, there are still individuals who oppose equal rights for women. Sharp feels that those who oppose the beliefs represented at the Women’s March should have a conversation with those who support equality.
“It’s not just women. It’s women of color, women of religion, college women, women that want to have abortions,” Sharp said. “There are so many categories of what we are fighting for.”
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