“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

With the election finally over, many Americans are outraged with the outcome, and have taken to the streets in protest all around the nation. But many ask: why? Why are so many people protesting? What do they hope to accomplish?

Well, I am here to answer that. The weekend after the election I attended the protests on the ASU campus with a few friends. I went in hopes to blow off some steam, while also expressing my beliefs. I didn’t go with the hopes of changing the president elect, because I know that won’t happen. I went because I wanted to fight for what I believe in, as did many others.

I believe in women’s rights, gay rights, and human rights. I do not agree with racism, misogyny, homophobia, or xenophobia. I will continue to do whatever I possibly can to fight for equal rights, whether it be protesting, petitioning, voting, or writing as I am now.

As the president elect has said before, he wants to deport muslims and latinos. He has said he wants to overturn the marriage equality act and get rid of women’s right to choose, throwing us years back in terms of civil rights. I won’t just sit by and let this happen.

While I may not be happy with the president elect, that was not why I chose to protest. I protested to make my voice heard and show that I am still here, and more importantly to show that we are still here. To show that we the minority’s; whether it be women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, or people that want to move forward, are still here. And that we will not be broken.

If you plan on going out to protest, know what you’re fighting for. If you plan on going out to protest because you want to change the president elect, don’t. The reality of it is, it’s not going to happen. However, if you want to protest because you are passionate about something and have a clear and obtainable goal in mind, then go for it and don’t give up.

Your voice is the most important thing that you have and no one can take that away from you. Your voice is what makes you, you. It doesn’t matter how you choose to speak, your voice will always be heard.