“Why march?” Because we love our country

Let me start by apologizing for bequeathing you with another article about politics — I realize most of you are rather apathetic toward the topic at this point. Be that as it may, this concept is too big to ignore.

On Saturday, a good friend of mine texted me saying she didn’t understand the marches.

I’ll admit I am guilty of seeking asylum in my liberal-minded bubble, and I often miss out on what the general population of conservatives thinks. As a result, I was genuinely unaware that many conservatives didn’t understand the point of the marches.

First and foremost, I must explain that marchers did not expect to make a couple of signs and have a new president. They did not expect to recite a couple of chants and see an end to the Republican agenda. Moreover, contrary to President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, marchers did, indeed, vote. In fact, about 3 million more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump last November.

The women, men and children across the globe who spent Saturday protesting did not do so with the intention of abolishing the Trump administration. They were doing so to empower those who need empowering, and to remind the world that the needs of the millions of marginalized Americans are not going to just go away. The women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community and every other person who feels threatened and scared for their freedom under a Trump presidency are still here and will not stop fighting to protect their rights.

One thing that must be made clear is that the people who marched do not, under any circumstances, believe they are not privileged. However, that does not mean they are not oppressed. All of the marginalized groups that I mentioned before, as well as many others, are starting off Trump’s presidency several notches below the straight white males that voted him into office. No one can say women are not paid less than men, that racism does not exist, that homophobia does not impact the lives of thousands of Americans or that sexual assault is not taken with a grain of salt in our court systems. All of this is oppression.

The millions of Americans who already find themselves oppressed or marginalized are now at risk of their afflictions being amplified. Trump has made comments that have objectified women, belittled the disabled and all-around disgusted Americans who believe in equality. His policy plans not only threaten to hinder the road to equality for these groups, but to set back equality hundreds of years.

Trump has said he not only plans to outlaw abortion by overturning the ruling of the 44-year-old verdict of Roe v. Wade, but also that he thinks women who do have abortions should be punished. He plans to defund Planned Parenthood, leaving thousands of women without access to birth control and health services. He plans to call for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the U.S.,” labeling all of them as terrorists. He plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act, leaving more than 3 million Americans without healthcare.

The plans I have mentioned are only an infinitesimal amount of the dogmatist plans Trump has for the U.S. Unfortunately, I have only 650 words to explain to the world why we are scared and why we are fighting.

We marched because our country is ignoring us. Because our country wants to take away our rights. Because our country is no longer a safe place for us. We marched because we love our country and we want to keep loving it. We marched because we care.

Abigail Miller is a UF journalism sophomore. Her column appears on Fridays.