The gentle rays of the afternoon sun seep through the skyscrapers, tall testaments to the eternal pursuit of progress, for growth, and the hunger to leap into the future. These steel citadels now look down upon those rare souls, those occasional heroes who gather together to march for one, universal ideal. With their gleaming exteriors silently simmering, the soaring towers watch, undisturbed, as the next page of American progress is forged in cardboard and permanent marker.

“I marched for all the women and men in America and around the world who are oppressed by social stigma,” says Geneva High School student, Hannah Paschke, on who she marched for. “I think all people have the right to be who they are.” Hannah, along with thousands of others, is striving toward true equality and representation for all people; no matter their ethnicity, their sexual orientation, nor their gender.

The 2018 Women’s March Chicago was a tremendous success, and an honorable victory for minorities everywhere. With over 300,000 people attending this year’s march, the compelling theme of “March to the Polls” filled the atmosphere with a buzzing excitement. As the fervor grew, the chants were accompanied by the clamor of thousands of feet marching with a newfound unity.

Along with a multitude of public speakers and performers that ranged from City Clerk, Anna Valencia to cast members from the all-American musical “Hamilton”, the constant stream of megaphone-induced chants punctured the empowering ambience and added to the effects left by the speakers. As the crowd shifted and bubbled with unattainable excitement and determination, the march to Federal Plaza had finally begun.

As the masses of activists marched with purpose in their hearts, powerful mantras escaped their lips and were released into the crisp, morning air. “No polls, no registry, f*ck white supremacy,” was the most prominent chant from the march, along with “tell me what America looks like… this is what America looks like.”

When asked what her drive was, Hannah Paschke replied with, “My drive is seeing my friends and those around me that I know personally and seeing them be affected by and oppressive government and an uncaring population.” Hannah, and all those other rare souls who attended the Women’s March, march for one, unifying reason: no one, regardless of background or identity, should ever be discriminated against or stripped of their basic human rights.