Our country is going into a potential recession, an oligarchy, a dark age if you will. And Americans will not stand for it. Americans are not going to back down and keep quiet when their family members with green cards are being threatened with arrest, when their humans rights are being challenged, when billionaires are suddenly making decisions in our government, when they’ve been fired from their federal jobs just because they don’t agree with President Trump’s views, when their cost of living is being raised to the max, when their social security checks and benefits have a chance of not arriving on time or not at all. So, we protest with the ultimate goal of making a difference.
Now, I know that we put ourselves here. I’m not delusional enough to think that we didn’t, but don’t let those thoughts drown you and lead you to believe that you are in this alone because you’re not. In reality, there are tens of millions of others who feel the same way but their voices are suppressed by loud and aggressive Republicans.
You might not care about what goes in a different state miles away but you would be surprised about what happens right in your backyard. In fact, according to stlpr, 250 protestors gathered on March 7 in Jefferson City, Missouri to protest Trump’s federal cuts to scientific funding and research. Also, these protests are a part of a nation wide movement called Stand Up For Science and thousands of others have rallied across the country. According to Legal Planet, Trump has tried to cut the funding of the NIH (National Institute of Health) as well.
Additionally, according to KSMU, on March 4, there was a peaceful protest of 70 people in Springfield City Hall to object to Project 2025, protect public education, and stand up for women’s rights.
There have also been many protests all over the country thanks to the 50501 (50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement) movement that was created just weeks after Trump took office. Their ultimate goal is to unite Americans against their common enemy and to reject fascism and save democracy, it’s a shame that we only unite in opposition. Just like Trump and his administration made Americans his enemy, they are now ours.
According to the AP, there were 50501 protests on February 5, 2025. They protested the potential shutdown of USAID (The U.S. Agency for International Development), Elon Musk’s involvement in government and him being placed at the head of the coverup program DODGE (The Department of Government Efficiency), high grocery prices, Trump’s crackdown on immigrants, the complete denouncement of transgender rights, and the playbook of Republicans: Project 2025.
According to Newsweek, there was another set of 50501 protests on February 17, 2025, titled “Not My President’s Day.” These protests were held to call attention to Trump’s monarchical and fascist actions and to defend democracy.
Eve Hannibal (9) expressed how she now feels about President’s day.
“I feel uncertainty because Trump’s fascist actions affect everybody. Also, his views and actions make it seem like he doesn’t support everyone and we’re supposed to be proud of our leaders on President’s day,” Hannibal said.
According to the AP, there was yet another series of 50501 protests on March 4, 2025 when Trump issued his joint address to Congress. They protested to make it known to their fellow Americans that Trump’s presidency is dangerous and un-American. They raised inverted American flags at the Capitol in Washington D.C. to show that our country is in a crisis. They hoisted Palestinian and Ukrainian flags as well and some even wore yellow clothing in solidarity to Ukraine. Their signs called Trump a “Russian Asset”, “Putin’s Puppet”, “Wannabe King”, and so forth. There were also signs that showed support of transgender and abortion rights and diversity. There were even signs that simply said “Save Our Parks.” A particular protester even described Elon Musk’s involvement in the government as a “Billionaire Coup” and another protester had a sign that said, “Where Law Ends, Tranny Begins.”
Brielle Vassel (10) had a profound take on how she thinks “We the People” has been disregarded after Trump took office.
“I believe that a few of the bills he is trying to pass goes against some of the standards in the constitution,” Vassel said. “America is a union and as such has a system in place to make it so that leaders do not have too much power. For instance, him trying to pass a bill to buy Greenland seems more like a power move on his part than a gain to America.”
On top of that, veterans protested on Capitol Hill on March 14 to object to federal cuts to social security checks and medicare benefits. Furthermore, there are 100+ protests planned to happen at Tesla dealerships in the U.S., and even Canada and the U.K., even though they have been threatened by Trump’s administration. But of course, they are not the only ones, as college protesters have been similarly threatened with cuts to their schools’ funding, arrest, and even deportation.
Why are these protests important? I mean what’s it to you anyway? In particular, as youth who have bright futures ahead of us, why should we care? Because We The People means everyone and that includes you. We are fighting for you. We want you to look at the color of your skin and not think of it as a constraint, we don’t your dreams to be hindered because just of your gender, we don’t want you be discriminated against because of what you identify as or who you love, we don’t want you to be treated different just because you were not born an American, we don’t want you to live in country that is ruled by tranny and has lot of all sense of democracy, we don’t want you to be riddled with diseases, breathe in polluted air, and live in an environment decayed by man.
Why? Well, it’s simple really, we are all entitled to human rights and it is our obligation as Americans to stand up and fight for our brothers and sisters when we see injustices happening. Our country was founded on unity and freedom and that is what we must uphold. It is not the time to take your foot off of the gas just because it looks like a storm is starting to brew on the horizon, no, that’s not what Americans do. The fight is only just beginning.
We are living in a time where protests from the American people are needed more than ever and might just be the only thing that can pull us out of the darkness that is slowly consuming us.
Vassel further explained how protests can have a positive impact.
“People pay attention when others protest. This in turn brings light to issues and problems where before it was in the dark. I feel that if we take protests without violence and with respect that the outcome will be positive,” Vassel said.
As someone who has social anxiety and has problems communicating out loud what I truly believe in, I use my talent as a writer, as a journalist, to finally speak up. This is my protest. I will do whatever I can in my power to make it known to people how important it is to stand up for what you think is right, and to fight for your fellow Americans and for your future.
Then, Hannibal described how she protests in her own way.
“I have debates with others because of the things that are being done in our government and then, that message spreads to others,” Hannibal said.
I mean, the fight for freedom, equality, and fairness is not something we aren’t accustomed to. Americans have been fighting injustices for centuries and the blood, sweat, and tears that we have put into our causes, turned movements, turned revolutions, has not been lost and will never be forgotten. All we need to do now is to get to work and demand that we be heard.
