The State News sat down with three MSU students, two of which will be attending the Women's March on Lansing. The third will be traveling to Washington, D.C. to be a part of the Women’s March on Washington.
The Women’s March on Washington “will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights,” according to its mission statement.
According to the March on Lansing's website, the event is designed to be a sister event to the one in Washington, D.C. Both will take place Jan. 21.
The goal of the conversation with the three MSU students is to better understand why they plan to march this weekend.
Social relations and policy junior Malia Bradbury originally planned on attending the March on Lansing this weekend, until an opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. and be a part of the Women’s March on Washington came up.
Leaving on Jan. 19, Bradbury and a small group are carpooling to D.C. and staying through Jan. 22, the day after the march.
“I just kind of decided on a whim that this was something that I couldn’t miss because it seems like it’s going to be a super historic event,” Bradbury said.
Bradbury said she wishes to support women around her that are now nervous for their futures and to display solidarity with women of all backgrounds.
“In my life I’ve never been so worried for women,” Bradbury said. “I know personally I am concerned about my rights to healthcare, etc. but I know there are so many women of various minoritized groups that are even more concerned about their livelihoods.”
Bradbury also seeks comfort for herself and the women who have concerns about the upcoming presidency and how it’s going to affect them.
“I’m hoping that it gives me some sort of comfort, because I am really fearful of the next four years,” Bradbury said. “I hope that being in this big group of people will give me a sense of peace.”
Bradbury said women need solidarity to feel more hopeful for the future.
“I think this is going to be an event I’m not going to forget,” Bradbury said. “I think I’m going to take pretty much every experience that I have there with me for a long time.”
Bradbury believes fear can have a positive outcome.
“When a lot of people are scared, that’s when change can happen,” Bradbury said.
Doctoral student Julia DeCook said she views the March on Lansing as a place where voices can be heard and that she sees it as her duty to attend.
“Marching is just a civic duty, protesting is a civic duty,” DeCook said. “We’re guaranteed these rights by the Constitution, and so to not exercise them would be not living up to what it means to be an active and engaged citizen.”
DeCook said marching is a healthy way to express citizens' discontent with the current system.
“I’m a mixed-race woman,” DeCook said. “All of these issues that are kind of happening, they're things that I have been very aware of my entire life.”
In DeCook’s opinion, this election confirmed many of the prejudicial thoughts that existed among a majority of people.
“I refuse to stand for the normalization of these kinds of things,” DeCook said. “I’ve been the victim of racism, sexism, everything like that. To do my small part to help alleviate these problems is all that I can do. I’m just one person, but one person in a group of a lot of people can be a lot of change.”
Enacting change from a local level can impact the entire country, DeCook said.
“This country doesn’t belong any more to one group than the other,” DeCook said. “This is a country that was built off of immigrants and genocide, and we can’t ignore that fact in our history and the way we dictate our politics.”
DeCook said by attending the march, she will be a voice for other minorities and women.
“On one hand you feel like it’s not going to do anything, that’s the cynic,” DeCook said. “But on the other hand, not going would be something that I would completely regret.”
Microbiology senior Conner Stapley’s friend group includes people with various political views. He attended a Catholic high school, and while most of his friends are liberal, some are conservative. However, that will not stop them from marching together this weekend in Lansing.
“There’s a (President-elect Donald) Trump supporter in the group and there’s mutual respect between all of us,” Stapley said. “It’s a friendship. I’m not going to let politics drive us apart.”
The mutual understanding is an important part of Stapley’s friendships.
“We just have this understanding that it’s politics, that in the end of the day we have to live together … our friendship is more important than any sort of ideological difference that we have,” Stapley said.
Stapley said in a democracy it’s necessary to have multiple viewpoints, but he enjoys socializing with people who share his viewpoints as well.
“We do have the freedom to have differing opinions, that’s something we should value,” Stapley said. “I enjoy being with other politically-minded people and discussing things. I get intellectual satisfaction out of that.”
The march is local, making political participation accessible.
“It just sounds fun,” Stapley said. “We live in (the) capital city of a state, it’s right down the street, literally just down the road from us. Why not be involved? It’s so easy.”
Though Stapley believes real change is economic, he said protests are good for making a loud statement and getting the message out there.
“I don’t want to be 30 years down the line and be asked by some of the younger generation, ‘While this was all going on you were in college, what did you do?’ I don’t want to say, ‘Well, I was in my dorm room watching T.V.,’” Stapley said. “I want to be out there doing something, on the streets, working in politics or working with people.”
With the march Saturday, Stapley said he has a chance to make his mark.
“I don’t want to have a backseat in the history books,” Stapley said.
