By Judah Breitbach
Three days after President Trump was elected Cheri Jessup of Peninsula College, bought her plane ticket to Washington DC to protest the inauguration.
Saturday, Jan. 21, Jessup, along with others from the area, attended The Women’s March on Washington along with approximately 597,000 other marchers in D.C., according to “Newsweek.”
When asked prior to her departure for the Capital why she selected the march in D.C. as opposed to the numerous marches on the Peninsula and in the Seattle area she replied “I believe Washington State is pretty set in the direction it leans, so I thought it would be better to be a presence in the heart of where all of this is going to come down.”
The march was very empowering, said Jessup, “We found several shrines around monuments and all around the White House fencing. People were placing their signs from the march everywhere, taking pictures, talking to each other, hugging, chanting, smiling, an amazing sign that this is not a one-off demonstration. We are in this for the long haul.”
“People are more grounded than ever in the fact that they know there is work to do. We will need to stay active and continue to stay strong and supportive of each other.
“We went to represent women, people who are bullied, civil rights. For the short term, our goal is to be the face and voice for those who can’t or won’t say anything, and I will be sure to make positive and constructive demonstrations.
“I’m brand new to this. Not in my generation have we had to face this. Not since MLK’s march on Washington or the protests of the Vietnam war have we dealt with something like this. I want to talk to young people. This can’t be a one time thing. We have to continue the movement. Apathy is almost as bad as taking away people’s rights,” she said when asked about how she might continue the spirit of the march over the remainder of the administration or even further.
CNN reported that at least 95 arrests had been made on inauguration day. It is unclear whether or not they were in conjunction with the rally Jessup attended.