Students march for women’s rights

Millions of people around the world participated in the Women’s March on Jan. 21. Many students and teachers from Northgate attended the movement at many different locations not only from the Bay Area, but also across the country in Washington D.C during an inauguration trip.

Here in the Bay Area, there were multiple marches close to home.

In downtown Walnut Creek, over 5,000 people participated including students from Northgate including senior Doreen Hemmati.

“Going into the march I expected it to be a really fun and unifying event and it definitely was. I was surprised to see a lot of people that I know and people I didn’t think we’re passionate about these things,” Hemmati said. “It was very empowering because people were not only protecting the rights of women but all minority groups and it was nice to see everyone sharing the same experience.”

She was not alone, 19 percent of people surveyed at Northgate attended protests, and 90 percent of those attended the Women’s March.

In Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco there were marches much larger with up to 60,000 in Oakland and 25,000 in San Jose and 50,000 in San Francisco. Senior P.J. Gaughan attended both the Walnut Creek and San Francisco marches standing strong to his beliefs.

Gaughan was marching to “call more attention to the fact that, as men, our job isn’t to tell women what we think is best for them or to try and pass legislation or regulation to help them, it’s our job to support them while they make those decisions for themselves.”

He said his favorite chant was “‘Your body, your choice’ with women responding ‘My body, my choice,’ because it’s your body and it’s your choice and it’s your life and your regulations.”

Finally, across the country, Northgate students got to attend the largest march with about half a million other people protesting the day after Trump was inaugurated in the same spot. Estelle Yim, a senior who attended the March on Washington during the inauguration trip.

“I marched because I think that regardless of political opinion, the new administration poses a threat to all Americans and to our country’s fundamental ideas of human rights and democracy.” said Yim.