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Hundreds of students from all over the DC metro area rally in front of the Capitol building to protest Donald Trump's policies and behavior. Photo courtesy of Rachel Rosenheim.
DC protests give voice to the concerns of students
Hundreds of students from all over the DC metro area rally in front of the Capitol building to protest Donald Trump’s policies and behavior. Photo courtesy of Rachel Rosenheim.
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DC protests give voice to the concerns of students

As soon as the results of the presidential election came out on November 8, protests started throughout the entire country. Thousands of people, many of whom are racial or ethnic minorities, women, and/or members of the LGBTQ+ community, took to the streets to voice their disapproval with Donald Trump’s unpredicted victory. On Tuesday, November 15, hundreds of students from DC and Montgomery County, including myself and other students from Walter Johnson, joined the national protests and marched in DC in protest of the election.

However, there are many people from both sides of the political spectrum who do not support these protests, and who think that these protests are unnecessary or even harmful. I vehemently disagree.

Some say that students and people who didn’t vote shouldn’t be protesting. I say that everybody, no matter how uninvolved they were two weeks ago, has the right to voice their opinion, and that this goes doubly for students, who have no way of making a difference other than protesting.  Some say that the election is over and protesters need to accept the results. I say that the first amendment in the Bill of Rights in the Constitution gives us the right to assemble to express our opinions. It’s not just our right: it’s our responsibility as citizens of the United States to come together and protest against injustice and inequality. Some say that Trump hasn’t done anything yet, and we should wait to see if he’ll actually do all the things he said before we protest. I say that we cannot wait until the worst happens; we have to fight to make sure it never comes to that. Some say that the protests only divide the country even more, when what we need is to be united. I say that the protesters are not the ones who divided this country. The country was divided when almost half of its voters decided to elect a xenophobic, bigoted sex offender, and it shouldn’t be up to us to accept their hate.

When I walked out of school on Tuesday and joined the hundreds of students protesting in DC, I didn’t see the violent, uninformed, pointless “complaining” that some people try to describe it as. I saw a strong community come together to fight for the protection of their rights. I saw huge crowds, armed only with signs, banners and their words, flooding the streets and marching for hours to make sure their voices were heard. This isn’t a useless tantrum. This is democracy.

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The protesting students march through DC, going as far as the Lincoln Memorial. Photo courtesy of Kate Lebrun.
Protesting students march through DC after walking out of school on Tuesday, November 15. Students walked as far as the Lincoln Memorial, passing multiple political centers on the way. Photo courtesy of Kate Lebrun.
Students gather around the Washington Monument during their protest. Photo courtesy of Claudia Angel Guerrero.
Students gather around the Washington Monument during their protest. Photo courtesy of Claudia Angel Guerrero.
The Supreme Court building is another stop on the protest trail, both as a protest of Trump's election and his future appointee to the Supreme Court. Photo courtesy of Claudia Angel Guerrero.
The Supreme Court building is another stop on the protest trail, both as a protest of Trump’s election and his future appointee to the Supreme Court. Photo courtesy of Claudia Angel Guerrero.
BCC student Marxe Orbach climbs onto a Trump Hotel window and waves a rainbow flag, as a crowd of protesters watches. Photo by Yael Hanadari-Levy.
BCC student Marxe Orbach climbs onto a Trump Hotel window and waves a rainbow flag, as a crowd of protesters watches. Photo by Yael Hanadari-Levy.
Another student waves a rainbow flag from a Trump Hotel window to the cheers of the protesters. Photo by Yael Hanadari-Levy.
Another student waves a rainbow flag from a Trump Hotel window to the cheers of the protesters. Photo by Yael Hanadari-Levy.
Protesting students, many carrying handmade signs with statements against Trump and his administration, gather at Trump Hotel to start their march. Photo by Yael Hanadari-Levy.
Protesting students, many carrying handmade signs with statements against Trump and his administration, gather at Trump Hotel to start their march. Photo by Yael Hanadari-Levy.
The protesters walk past the Newseum, which displays a quote from the Bill of Rights about the freedom of peaceful assembly. Photo by Yael Hanadari-Levy.
The protesters walk past the Newseum, which displays a quote from the Bill of Rights about the freedom of peaceful assembly. Photo by Yael Hanadari-Levy.
The protesters congregate around the newly opened Trump Hotel at the beginning of the march. From there, they went on to march across most of DC. Photo by Yael Hanadari-Levy.
The protesters congregate around the newly opened Trump Hotel at the beginning of the march. From there, they went on to march across most of DC. Photo by Yael Hanadari-Levy.
Hundreds of students take part in this walkout and protest, blocking off many DC streets with their huge numbers. Photo courtesy of Claudia Angel Guerrero.
Hundreds of students take part in this walkout and protest, blocking off many DC streets with their huge numbers. Photo courtesy of Claudia Angel Guerrero.

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Yael Hanadari-Levy
Yael Hanadari-Levy, Editor In Chief
This is senior Yael Hanadari-Levy’s second year working on the Pitch and first year as editor-in-chief. She doesn’t have any free time between school, her internship and the Pitch, but if she did she would probably spend it writing. Yael is an officer in the GSA and the WJ She’s The First chapter, and is a member of Feminism Club.
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