After a week of rain and overcast weather, Los Angeles was greeted with sunny skies this last Saturday, fitting for the occasion in downtown LA.

On Jan. 21, I marched alongside 750,000 people in Pershing Square at the Women’s March, a truly historic event. The streets were flooded with diverse crowds of people all marching to send a message to the new administration that we will not be silent.

While waiting in the subway station, I realized how strongly united the crowd was when a train arrived and people erupted into cheers and applause. It was 8 a.m., crowded and would be a long wait until the next train arrived but we all knew it was worth the wait.

The scene downtown was surreal, signs and banners of different messages, and a sea of pink hats and shirts constantly grabbed my attention. Among the most memorable signs I read were “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance,” “Girls just want FUN-ding for Planned Parenthood,” and “Men of quality do not fear equality.”

The messages of these signs and many others strongly resonated with me and I knew this march was the start of an important resistance. Passionate chants were also started as we walked towards City Hall. It took just one person to shout, “Show me what democracy looks like” and thousands shouted back with, “This is what democracy looks like.” Another compelling chant was “Her body her choice” with women and girls responding, “My body my choice.”

At City Hall, speakers were scheduled to give speeches at 12 p.m. However, because of the overwhelming crowd, we were told to go back towards where we had started. At this point the crowd was so vast it was more of a shuffle than a march. Despite the confusion, people were considerate and patient, something that is rare in large crowds.

Fortunately, at 6th Street and Broadway there were some speakers and performances. I was able to hear many influential and well-known people speak including Barbara Streisand, Miley Cyrus, Natalie Portman, Max Kennedy, and Debbie Allen. All of the messages conveyed united people in our shared anger but also encouraged solidarity and action.

Solidarity was seen throughout the U.S. and the world as an estimated 60 countries held Women’s marches, all with large turnouts. Millions of people around the world came together the day after Donald Trump was inaugurated to send the message that we will fight for our voices to be heard. The various Women’s Marches were important demonstrations but there is still so much more that we can do to insure that our new president protects the rights of all people.