This past Saturday morning, January 20th, the streets of Cleveland were flooded with groups of people who were taking part in the 2018 Women’s March. The march, like last year, is a protest against Trump’s conservative policies, and advocates for healthcare reform, non-discriminatory immigration policies, and environmental change. Though there was a slightly smaller crowd than last year, this could be summed up to the fact that last year the march was primarily against Trump’s inauguration, but this year most people have resigned themselves to the fact that it will be very hard for him to get impeached.

In Cleveland, the march took Protesters a half mile from Public Square to City Hall. But our city held one of the smaller marches. All across the country, groups of people rallied against our current government. And though the disbelief about Trump’s very election has somewhat faded, new developments in the past year have made the protest evoke new meaning and sentiment. The #MeToo movement uncovered some of the most hidden and unacceptable sexual abuse of women that is still apparently prominent today. It showed that equality is still so much farther away than all of us hoped it would be. And the passing of DACA gave another opportunity to point out the cruelty and oppression of our president.

In New York City, singer/songwriter Halsey, whose songs have more recently become much more popular than in past years, gave a heartbreaking speech on abusive relationships. The poem she wrote and read was called “A Story like Mine” and delved into her own experiences of sexual assault and gave the point that so many other women have the same story as she does. It showed that no person could claim that feminism is dead when there are so many people who are still suffering. And especially in the last year, it has become apparent that even in all of the diversity the country has, a constant is sexual assault.

Though the country’s prospects make seem grave, these protests show that there is still hope. As long as those who Trump is trying to quiet understand that they do not deserve this treatment, he will never be able to quiet them.