We are the generation that is going to change the world

This Saturday, thousands of people came together in streets across the country with signs in their hands and a mission in their hearts.

According to CBS, more than 200,000 people attended the main March for Our Lives protest in Washington, D.C., and organizers of the event put the overall number of protesters close to 800,000. In total, an estimated 800 marches were held in cities across the nation. These protests come a little more than a year after the Women’s March took place, the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.

Over the past month, we have watched high school students lobby in Tallahassee and D.C. We have watched those who are still considered to be too immature to drive a car or buy a beer change the course of history. We have seen them fight for a better and safer America. We have seen our generation demonstrate a power unlike any other, and prove they will change the future.

Some of the most significant changes in our nation’s history came from people just like the ones who are spending their weekends protesting, marching and lobbying for a better future. Our nation’s independence was catalyzed by a pivotal protest: the Boston Tea Party, the original American protest.

In 1913, 8,000 demonstrators marched the streets of Washington, D.C. to fight for women’s rights to vote. After seven more years of adherent determination, their goal was achieved. In 1993, 800,000 people gathered on the National Mall to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. The march helped the community to gain recognition across the country and since then, same-sex marriage has been legalized and significant strides have been made in terms of HIV and AIDS research.

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. showed Americans the power of a peaceful protest when he led marchers from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial and presented his famed “I Have a Dream” speech. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed shortly after that, changing the course of American history.

And let’s not forget about the Vietnam War demonstrations which lasted through the duration of the 20-year war. These protests led to the termination of the draft and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam.

The aforementioned demonstrations are just a snippet of the power protests have had in American history. Nearly every major change we’ve seen, both in recent and distant history, came as a result of people who would refuse to sit down and accept what they felt wasn’t right. Our generation is no different.

For the past 20 years or so, we’ve seen a lull in protests and pause in the stark determination among American people. Sure, Americans have voiced discontent, but it’s been years since we’ve seen organized rallies like the ones mentioned above. Our generation is changing that.

We understand for some people it is hard to see the point of these protests. That’s because change takes time. It takes continuous effort and struggle. It takes miles of marching and hours of lobbying. It takes unique voices and fearless leaders. It takes courage, and it takes more than a week to achieve.

The impacts of the recent marches like the Women’s March and the March For Our Lives are yet to be seen. Nonetheless, we know it’s coming.

We know our generation is working effortlessly to take advantage of the First Amendment rights and take back our country.

We couldn’t be prouder.