After spending an hour finding parking, my mom and I left our car, posters in hand and clothing adorned with pins. After approximately five minutes of walking through the streets, I was already asked to have my picture taken, hugged by a young woman with the same bright pink scarf and accompanied by a woman named Nan on her way to meet her friends at City Hall.

Within moments I was swallowed into a sea of pink hats and empowering signs, all walking the streets for the same reason: equality.

Each chant started with one young woman: “Yes we can, yes we can, yes we can….”

Protesters danced to upbeat music blaring throughout the streets. Every face glistened with a contagious smile representing unity.  

Many of the posters and banners were dedicated to women’s unification, while others exemplified their exasperation over the continuation of the fight for equal rights. Some of the most memorable signs read “Love Trumps Hate” and “Marching ova-achievers”; images of Carrie Fisher and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dotted the streets, showing that “we are the resistance.”

A main theme among signs were references to female anatomy, advocating the right to an abortion. Near Pershing Square, a large group of women pleaded to the marchers to get IUD implants — a form of birth control that directly prevents pregnancy — while they still can. The women were supplicating that after Trump repeals Obamacare, abortion rights will suffer and Planned Parenthood will lose government funding. Most women won’t have the access to necessary protection from undesired pregnancies. Multiple signs, banners, pins and t-shirts emphasized the fact that everyone has the right to make decisions regarding their own bodies.

Along with pro-choice slogans, President Donald Trump was referenced among the countless posters and banners, many of them ridiculing his “tiny hands,” the most popular being “Keep your tiny hands away from my body.”

As the march came to a close, I was filled with a strong feeling of support, sisterhood and family on a global scale. Along with all the women and children that overflowed the streets of downtown, marching for equality, men held their signs up high. Some by themselves or next to their wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, friends, family and children. While the turnout is still being counted, it is undeniable that the march was a historic event that served as a symbol of unity in a time of conflict.

We can be sure to expect many more protests in the years to come. Don’t lose hope.