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DAN ORZECHOWSKI
Staff Writer
A crowd speckled with pink huddled in front of Mason Hall the day after President Donald Trump was sworn in. These people were protesters.
Participants bearing signs and flags marched as one throughout Fredonia’s campus. While chanting “women’s rights are human rights,” the parade made its way to downtown’s Barker Commons. There, speakers called for unity and shared their reasons for marching. As more and more people spoke, more and more reasons were given.
Although the parade was dubbed a “women’s march,” the crowd — consisting of both women and men — quickly revealed that they were marching for much more beyond rights for women. Participants demonstrated their concerns for the environment, healthcare and discrimination of all sorts.
Among the crowd was Judy Parsons, a native to Jamestown, New York. Like many of the marchers present, this wasn’t Parsons’ first march. Parsons had marched in protest of the Vietnam War and again decades later against the war in Iraq.
When it was her turn to speak, she told the rest of the crowd of her recent travels to Germany and Switzerland. Parsons compared Trump’s rise in power to Adolf Hitler’s. “The people are scared there,” she said. “They know how fear is the best weapon for mass control.”
This wasn’t the first march for freshman Tyler Wood either. The dual major in vocal performance and English had also marched in a Slut Walk, an event which protested the idea that a person’s clothing can imply sexual consent.
When Wood found out about the women’s march online, he was compelled to demonstrate his disagreement with Trump’s agenda.
Despite their amplitude of concern, the marchers admitted that this particular walk will not bring immediate change. However, they also acknowledged that any kind of change requires time.
“It organizes concern. When people notice that so many others feel the same way, it shows that it’s okay to take a risk and do this,” Wood said.
Fredonia’s march was just a tiny sample of what happened elsewhere. According to ABC News, an estimated 500,000 people marched in the nation’s capital, making it the largest demonstration in Washington’s history.
More than 600 sister marches were found throughout the country and even overseas. ABC News announced that “crowd estimates from police and organizers around the globe added up to well over a million.”
In response to the marches, Trump tweeted a day later with “Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.”
Hours later another tweet was posted.
“Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even though I don’t always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views.”
Despite the hundreds of thousands of marchers protesting for abortions rights, according to NPR, Trump already signed an executive order which restored President Ronald Reagan’s “Mexico City policy.” This action eliminates federal funding to international charities who provide any information on abortion procedures.
For many Fredonia marchers, to receive Trump’s recognition would be considered a victory. Joe McMaster, a local grape grower who marched with the crowd, believes the new administration will change everything.
“He’s the president of the whole country. He should keep everyone in mind,” he said.
McMaster doesn’t agree with Trump’s agenda, but he does see a silver lining. “Even though I’m not happy about the election, Trump has caused a lot of people to speak up,” McMaster said.
Though many are still frustrated with the election results, Parsons said that “it’s important to respond without anger and with peace.”
Marchers assured that this would not be the last event to protest the new president, although future events have not yet been scheduled on Fredonia’s campus.