Written by Intern Sarah Giron
Remember there is power in numbers. It’s easy to think “It’s just me, I can’t change the world.” But if you instead changed your thoughts to “I am me and every action I take is influencing the world I want to live in. We can change the world together.” It’s time to realize there are almost 8 billion people on this planet and everything we do adds up, good and bad.
Some people are wondering “What on Earth everyone is doing protesting? Does it really work? Will you accomplish anything?”
Protesting has been going on for centuries on a myriad of topics, but it all comes back to being treated equally as Earthlings. We all live on this planet and we all deserve life, from the plants and animals to humans alike. We share this world as home and when we come together and stand up for what’s just, we can accomplish a lot.
The world changes because groups of people have the courage to stand together and go against the “norm”, educate others, and speak up. They are not afraid to use their voices or their bodies.
If we are not standing up for others when they are in need, how could we expect the world to get better? We can’t. So we peacefully protest and yes, it can have a lifelong impact.
So what has protesting accomplished?
Over the years it has secured human rights and freedoms for millions. Examples include The French Revolution, The Salt March in India, to The March on Washington, The Anti-Apartheid Movement (aka Boycott Movement), and The Berlin Wall Protests. Up to as recent as Stonewall, Earth Day Marches, Tiananmen Square, and The Orange Revolution, to The March for Science, Chilean feminist marches, and Black Lives Matter protests.
All over the world, courageous individuals come together because they know their power in numbers, to stand up for what they believe is fair.
Countries have gained more democracy by standing up to their governments, civil rights movements have struck more equality and less segregation for people of color, women, and LGQBT have gained more rights, and there have been more conservation measures for treating our Earth better and listening to our scientists.
Most importantly, we are spreading the information worldwide and amplifying the voices of those who are being silenced.
Right now, thousands are mobilizing during the Black Lives Matter movement. These demonstrations have helped secure police accountability with arrests of those who have murdered innocent people including the officers who killed George Floyd, ban of chokeholds, updated use of force guidelines, duty to intervene, outside accountability, and reduced police budgets, ban of the confederate flag, taking down of offensive statues, and brands removing racist marketing while striving to put out more adds and shows with Black people. There is still so much more work to be done to dismantle systemic racism and oppression, but this movement has proven the power of mass demonstrations.
It has been proven that when we come together as a species and demand just treatment, things change. Yes, we march in the streets with our signs, we get arrested and shot with rubber bullets and tear gas for practicing our first amendment rights, but we also tell our representatives just what changes we want. We call, we sign petitions, we go to the city hall and the state capital to give our public comments since they work for us, and we vote.
Most importantly, keep educating yourself and passing down the truth and knowledge. To continue this push for equality, it is important to remember that we only grow by talking about our real history, worldwide and make sure that it does not repeat itself. We get better by admitting our faults and finding the best ways to correct them.