GDS students chanted, “climate action now!” “people power!” and “we will not go back!” as they marched out of Farragut Square on Saturday, Jan. 18 in protest of the second inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Following the first election of Trump in Nov. 2016, over 100 GDS students marched in protest of him from the White House to the Old Post Office Building. This year, only eight GDS students participated in The People’s March.
The People’s March, a renewal of the 2017 Women’s March, incorporated a wide range of social justice issues into one protest. GDS students protested in support of climate justice, women’s rights, gun control and other issues related to the new Trump administration.
The People’s March featured three meeting points: Farragut Square, McPherson Square and Franklin Park. After an hour of protesting, participants from the three rally locations united and marched down 17th Street toward the Lincoln Memorial.
On Jan. 14, junior Georgia Kaufman, a member of the Enviro Club, sent out an all–high school email encouraging people to join the Enviro Club at the protest. “The People’s March will be a day of joyful resistance, community building and powerful action,” Kaufman wrote. Only two of the three club heads were present. Co-head junior Oliver Wolin was not in D.C. at the time.
“I’m happy with the amount of people who showed up from Enviro Club because we’re not a huge club and about a third of the people in it came,” senior Sam Pastreich, a co-head of the Enviro Club, said. Pastriech expected four to five GDS students to attend. “My expectations were low because the semester is wrapping up and people are out of town.”
Both in Nov. 2016 and Jan. 2025, GDS students chanted, “This is what democracy looks like!” There was a noticeable decline of the overall participation in this year’s protest compared to the first Trump inauguration. The 2017 Women’s March drew nearly five hundred thousand people to D.C., while only a few thousand attended the People’s March this year.
“It seemed like a good turnout, but not quite as much as some similar protests in the past,” Pastreich said. The Enviro Club has rallied students to attend protests in the past, such as in 2022 when 14 students attended a climate rally at the Supreme Court. “It’s something we try to do every year,” he added.
“I am protesting a president that just doesn’t believe in science and thinks that science isn’t real,” senior Mac Penniman, a co-head of the Enviro Club, said. “I am out here for everyone that is going through the California wildfires.”
Pastreich affirmed the importance of participating in social justice events. “Even just showing up to a march, even if it’s not going to make all the change in the world, is important to stay motivated if you think that there’s no hope,” he said.
Senior Shanwai Lin, who attended the protest but is not a member of Enviro, said that GDS students should not use the right to protest for granted. “There’s a lot of issues on the planet that [GDS students] have the privilege to make change on,” he said. “Other people don’t have the opportunity to take their Saturday to come protest.”
However, Lin added, “No one should be obligated to do these things, but they should definitely be made aware.”
The four GDS participants interviewed by the Bit spoke about the importance of youth involvement in social justice issues.
“I think if you look around you can tell how important it is for kids to come. There are a lot of older people here, but there’s not a lot of young representation,” Pastreich said. “We’re really focused on all the social justice movements that are happening around us.”
Junior Rachel Sachs attended the march in support of women’s rights and environmental protection and against gun violence. “We are the ones that are going to be affected by legislation in the future, and I think it’s very important that people see Gen Z getting out there and standing up for what we believe in,” she said.
Senior Jeremiah Farr, Lin, Pastreich, Penniman and Sachs carried signs reading “Planet over Profit,” “End Gun Violence,” “Girls Just Wanna Have Fundamental Rights” and “Why are Women More Restricted Than Guns?”
(Sachs and Farr are on the Bit’s staff.)
Posters reading “Climate action now!” were handed out before the march began, and many other posters were available for sale. During the march protesters held signs that read, “Feminists vs Fascists,” “Reproduction Freedom” and “Resist the Group of Perverts.”
Two non–GDS affiliated protesters interviewed by the Bit shared similar reasons for attending the People’s March as the group of GDS students.
“There’s power, there’s energy, there’s hope in knowing you’re not alone,” a mother of two protesting for her children at the march said. “I am here to stand up for my daughters. They are afraid to be here. One is transgender and the other is gay, and they are afraid to be seen because of the retribution.” She declined to give her name out of fear of the safety of her children.
“I’m here because I think, after the recent election and the incoming administration, it’s more important than ever to express your beliefs, especially with regard to democracy,” Bryson, a 27-year-old lawyer, said. He declined to reveal his last name, not wanting his words to reflect negatively on his employer.
Police tape lined the sidewalks on 17th Street, and large groups of police officers were stationed along the path of the march. Many side streets were closed around 17th Street, with police cars posted in front. Protestors saw 30 miles of anti-scale fencing erected for the inauguration as they marched down 17th street.
“I think now more than ever, having young people involved makes a huge difference,” Bryson said. “You might think that as a few kids, you can’t make any change, but together the young can make an effect. You can effectuate major changes and change the world.”
CORRECTION (Jan. 21 at 8:30 a.m.): The original version of the article incorrectly stated that Georgia Kaufman is a co-head of Enviro Club. Kaufman is actually a member of Enviro Club.
CORRECTION (Jan. 21 at 12:30 p.m.): The original version of the article incorrectly stated that six GDS students participated in the protest, it was actually eight students.