This past Saturday, January 20th 2018, hundreds of marches were held for gender equality and women’s rights. A year ago, on January 21st 2017, the world marched together in protest of the new U.S. president with women from every single continent. This was a worldwide event and a very powerful message was sent to governments around the world, that gender equality and women’s rights are of the upmost importance.  

This year’s march was filled with hundreds of thousands of protesters all around the world. In New York City, more than 200,000 citizens appeared for the rally and they stood united with creative posters and bright pink hats. In Los Angeles, more than 600,000 residents created a sea of men and women protesting for equal rights. Countless more cities came together in the movement which was a beautiful scene to look at. 

Men and women felt empowered all around the world, including multiple Towson students who went to the march in Washington D.C. and felt the power and emotion of it all. Senior Hannah Preston went out to that Saturday in D.C. and felt a wave of empowerment wash over her: “Being able to attend, let alone help work the march, was such an experience. I’ve never been prouder to be in the presence of so many powerful women. It was refreshing to see so much positivity for one cause.” 

The #metoo movement, which started out as a hashtag that let women share their stories about sexual assault to the public, has snowballed into a major movement that has moved beyond social media. Women are encouraging survivors to speak up and remind them that they are not alone and shouldn’t be ashamed of their stories. There have been millions of tweets and stories posted on social media, which has sparked celebrities and other powerful figures spearhead programs and projects to address sexual assault. 

The 2018 marches around the world were just as powerful has the 2017 marches, which shows how determined and passionate millions of men and women are about the cause. I have no doubt that there will be a 2019 march in the beginning of the year. The fight for gender equality will go-on around the world, with all women and men standing together, until equality is achieved.