On Oct. 18, people in cities all over the nation came together to protest President Donald Trump’s administration and policies.
The Eagle View team had the chance to observe and report on the march in Washington, D.C. Standing in a crowd of over 200,000 people, I couldn’t do anything but watch with tears streaming down my face. My lips were stuck in a small smile as I watched the mass of people fight for their democracy. Signs of all kinds were lifted above the crowd as they marched together through the city streets. People of all shapes and sizes and ages were united in trying their hardest to protect the country they love enough to fight for.
As a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, white girl, I have never felt the direct impact of oppression. However, I have seen and witnessed it first-hand. I have always felt so powerless. I thought, “I’m a white girl from a tiny, southern town in Arkansas, what could I possibly do?” But seeing the No Kings protest, my perspective shifted, and my heart changed. A fire ignited in my soul. Did these 200,000 people once feel powerless? Do they still? They weren’t powerless to me. They were brave, kind, hardworking people who had been either directly or indirectly affected by the new government policies. People in attendance had lost their jobs, family members, and friends to these policies.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the Trump administration claims to have deported over 2 million immigrants. Approximately 300,000 of those are children. With planned government funding cuts, it is likely that over tens of thousands of employees will lose their jobs.
At the protest, we had the opportunity to speak to some of those who have already been affected.
“It’s just sad,” says Cathleen Cherry-Mann, sitting beside her husband, Graylin Mann, who has also lost his job. “These officials are supposed to be for the people, and they’re not. They’re for themselves.”
“I [lost my job] in June, so we were forced into early retirement at 67, but what can you do?” says Mann.
Seeing and speaking to people who have been affected was eye-opening. But what opened my eyes even wider, was the sheer number of those who came to fight for those rights. The right to have a job, a home, food, and clothes on your back. The rights we were promised in the Constitution. The rights our citizens have fought for centuries. We deserve to be protected, fed, and treated fairly. To contribute to the cause, consider calling your legislators, donating to local or national organizations, and keeping yourself educated.
“The people are the only legitimate fountain of power.” – James Madison.
Riley Smith is a NorthWest Arkansas Community College freshman from DeQueen.
