CHS students march on Washington
Courtesy of Katherine Stockton-Juarez
Katherine Stockton-Juarez, right. and her sister Cristina hold signs at the Women’s March on Washington.
When millions of marchers participated in the Women’s March on Washington and its sister marches on January 21, several Carlisle High School students and alumni stood among them.
The March, which took place the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, was intended as a peaceful protest to convey a message of unity and justice to the new administration. Creators of the March reached millions by creating a Facebook page, and created a website to convey their message and encourage those who could not attend the D.C. March to attend “sister marches” across the country.
According to the March’s official website, “In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.”
Katherine Stockton-Juarez, who is currently a senior at CHS and attended the D.C. march, felt that the message of unity was conveyed in a serene manner.
“I was amazed at how peaceful the march was,” said Stockton-Juarez. “ [I] was absolutely astounded at how big it was.”
Anna Biddle, a member of the CHS Class of 2016, marched to protect ideals she holds dear.
“I can’t imagine how different and how scary America will be [with] Trump [in] office,” Biddle said. “I’m terrified, and in order to combat that fear, I’ve made it a priority to stand up in every act of political resistance, no matter how small.”
Stockton-Juarez marched in support of the women’s rights movement, and the ideas that go with it.
“I went because I wanted to support Planned Parenthood, and because I strongly believe in feminism,” Stockton-Juarez said.
Although the March itself is over, the ideas which spawned the March live on. The people behind the March have created the “10 Actions, 100 Days” campaign, where supporters are asked to do different actions to support the cause. People have sent postcards spreading information, and are now being encouraged to rally their communities together to enact local change.
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Sarah Thompson • Apr 26, 2017 at 11:27 am
I’m sure this was an experience of a lifetime. It’s really cool to see CHS students standing up for what they believe in. Nice article!
Sam Haseman • Mar 24, 2017 at 2:50 pm
I think it’s great to see people our age participating in the political process- it’s easy to complain and say that it’s not your problem because you can’t vote, but the truth is that we can make an impact and that as young adults, we have the power an responsibility to do something.
Jacob Fisher • Mar 21, 2017 at 3:41 pm
I think any form of political activism is something to be celebrated. Whether or not I agree with the people who marched is irrelevant. I think however something more important is the idea of conversations between both sides. I do not believe America’s current deep divisions can ever be healed unless, members from both sides of the political spectrum get outside of their comfort zone and begin to have conversations with the other half of America. Only then, can we hope of unifying America again.