“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

As someone who lives for inspirational quotes, the words spoken by Martin Luther King Jr. never cease to amaze and inspire me. I always have and probably always will love his quotes, not just because of the actual words, but the messages behind them. The way he used his words to provoke a movement is inspiring because despite all of the hardships he had experienced, he never turned to hatred. In many of his most famous quotes he focused on the contrast between love and hate, always proving that love continues to be the stronger force no matter what. He continued to look to the future, instead of dwelling on the past that could not be changed.

This quote in particular is inspiring to me because it is such a relevant message each and every day. I have always been a firm supporter of standing up for what you believe in, so these words really resonated with me. Immediately after reading this quote, I was brought back to a day that I will never forget. This day was one of the most life-changing, empowering days I have ever experienced within my short 18 years of life.

That day was January 21st, 2017.

On that day, I got to partake in making history. I walked through New York City along with millions of others to protest the injustice that women, and many other groups, are subject to on a daily basis. Yes, I participated in the Women’s March on Washington.

So many people questioned me, asking, what’s the point? Donald Trump was already elected and there is nothing you can do to change that. The answer was this: Whereas I know we can’t change the past, that doesn’t mean we have to accept it with open arms. We will continue to fight for our equal rights, no matter what it takes or who is in office. The purpose of this march was not to kick Donald Trump out of office; it was simply to show that we would not sit back and accept the injustice as it was.

This quote by Martin Luther King Jr. embodies this mindset perfectly, and I like to think we did him proud in the way we stood up and raised our voices so that there was no way we could be ignored.

This issue matters, and we refuse to be silent.