As co-founder of Women’s March Minnesota and Park alumni, Alicia Donahue, settles down from the most recent Women’s March, she explains why it is important for young people to get involved in activism.

“Your voice matters, your vote matters. If they didn’t, people wouldn’t try to silence you or take it away. Getting involved is so critical because our elected officials create policies that directly impact every single area of our lives, yet the people creating those policies do not accurately represent the people in our communities,” Donahue said.

The most recent Women’s March Minnesota happened Jan. 21at the St. Paul Union Depot said Donahue. Many other women’s marches took place that day in other cities around the country.

Junior Eva Goldfarb, who attended the Women’s March, said she wanted to attend the march to experience and help with the organization.

“I just thought it would be a really cool opportunity and a great experience, which it was,” Goldfarb said. “And I think helping coordinate it a little bit was really cool.”

Sophomore Amaya Fokuo said students should be involved in the community and events like the Women’s March, because it will be beneficial in the future.

“I think it’s important for high school students to get into activism because we’re the future, and as future leaders of the world, we need to be prepared for these types of situations and learn ways that we can defy what’s going on around us and change the way the world looks,” Fokuo said.

According to Donahue, she got involved with the Women’s March because she wanted to be a part of a movement.

“In 2016, after the election, I knew I had to do more. I heard women were marching in D.C. and immediately wanted to go. Due to work and personal obligations, I recognized I would not be able to travel to D.C. and thought marching in Minnesota would be the next best thing,” Donahue said.

Goldfarb said students should get involved with their communities because they are the future of America’s government.

“I think (activism is) important because in this day and age, it’s not enough to just care about these issues and tweet about it. You have to actually get up and make change if you want to see change happen,” Goldfarb said. “I think it’s really cool for people to know that we are the ones that get to control how we want our country to work. To have that power in our hands is a really cool thing that I think a lot of people should realize.”

Donahue said her reasoning for helping start Women’s March Minnesota was due to her desire to help the people around her.

“I was inspired by my love for my community and my country. I am a social worker and have dedicated my career to protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. After (President Trump’s election), it became clear that I must work to broaden that scope and fight for everyone in my community. I started paying attention to politics more than I ever had before and was heartbroken by what I saw,” Donahue said.

Donahue said getting involved in movements like the Women’s March will shape the future of our country.

“Through activism, you have the opportunity to change the world. It is up to all of us to protect, defend and fight for the America we see in our dreams,” Donahue said.