On Jan. 21, over 500,000 people attended the Women’s March on Washington rally. The event took place day after Trump’s presidential inauguration.

The Women’s March on Washington included a rally in the morning and early afternoon featuring 44 speakers, including feminist writer Gloria Steinem, and President of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards.

“The size of the crowds was insane,” sophomore Lilly Boehler said. “There were people everywhere I turned.”

According to the Washington Post, the crowds exceeded organizers’ expectations in size, causing the actual March to almost be cancelled. Instead, the route was adjusted to allow for everyone to March.

“The March was really peaceful with good vibes,” Boehler said. “There weren’t a lot of hate messages.”

According to the Washington Post, the goal of the event was to ¨promote women’s equality and defend other marginalized groups.¨

According to Boehler, at the event, there people at the event had “funny signs and were chanting messages about equality.”

In addition to the March on Washington, there were over 600 sister marches occurring globally, with an estimated one million people participating in total.

Boehler attended the rally and March because she supports the fight against inequality, and the major events occurred so locally in DC.

“When we started marching, I felt like I really was part of a big movement,” Boehler said. “It was liberating to see so many people rallying for the same cause.”