Protests, or as the French say "manifestations", are a common occurrence in the land of liberty, equality, and fraternity. I've always had an inclination to protest here in France but never had a reason to stand up with a sign in while yelling at the top of my lungs with others. 

That was until January 21st came around. ..

I won't lie and tell you that I'm not upset with how things are going in the United States (if you don't believe me check my other blog posts). I on purpose kept myself distracted that Friday. I went to a sports match (I'm not typically too big of a fan of sports, but it was surprisingly entertaining) , drank some terrible beer, and stuck close to my British friends for solidarity. I tried to stay off of social media in hopes of not being able to catch a glimpse of the inauguration. Because if I don't watch it, it means that it didn't happen right? I felt despair for my country because I knew that as soon as the next President of the United States was sworn in, the rights of my neighbors and I were in question.

 

Fortunately I live in a country where I can express my rights. Vive la France, right?!? To my surprise, a women's march was taking place in my town of Montpellier. At 1pm on January 21st, my friends and I met others who felt uncomfortable by the current President's comments on woman. As I joined the group of feminists I began to get a mixed emotions. This wasn't my first rodeo of protests and marches. I had stood in solidarity with my LGBTQ friends during the Marriage Equality act in Minnesota. I realized as I stood in the sea of people, speaking multiple languages to one another, that for the first time my rights as an American woman were jeopardized. These people, who were complete strangers, were letting the world know that what Trump has said and done against woman is not (and never will be) okay. 

    

I reminded myself that it was a good move to have worn sun glasses that day because I was filled with emotions. As I was walking around the park, I saw a mother taking a picture of her baby son. He was probably no more than 6 months old and was laying in his stroller. As she was getting out her camera from her bag she explained to him why she needed to take a picture. It was his first protest and she couldn't have been more proud of the fact that he was supporting woman. 

With Trump's inauguration, something beautiful actually happened. People around the world became unified. From the streets of New York city to the small town of Montpellier France, people took a stance against Trump, and I couldn't have been more fortunate to witness such solidarity around me. 

Until next time,