I know 2016 has not been the greatest year for everyone, no matter what your beliefs are. Between the election, the North Dakota Pipeline, the rapid problems being caused by climate change, equal rights or whatever it may be, people are all getting out there and voicing their opinions. Protesters usually come with negative connotations that are not always true. Not all protesters are violent, and often, peaceful protests have caused more powerful change than when people riot and use violence as their main influence. People, sadly, still get angry when peaceful protests occur, calling people “cry babies” and telling them to “get over it” and not wanting to allow these people to express their freedom of speech. Here are some reminders of why peaceful protest is the way to go.

The deterred KKK parade

Earlier this year, in North Carolina, a KKK parade was planned in honor of president-elect Donald Trump. Tons of anti-Klan citizens marched on the planned date for the parade and were able to peacefully deter them from coming. It is amazing to see communities rallying together against intolerance and hate in the world.

The North Dakota Pipeline Success

Tons and tons of citizens from all over came to rally around the issue of the North Dakota pipeline. Footage has been released of both Native and non-native protesters being brutalized in their peaceful efforts to protect their land and water. Eventually veterinarians came to the scene to tend to injured horses and help people as well. So much help and support came flooding in, even former and current military men and women came to protect the protesters and “stand on the front lines” for them. After long enough, it was agreed the pipeline would be re-routed, which is a huge victory for a peaceful protest that so many people became invested in all over the world.

Women’s Rights

Over 1,000 women marched in protest at the Indiana Statehouse to fight the abortion restrictions being signed off on by Mike Pence. Many women see these strict abortion laws as infringing on rights they have to their own bodies. Women chanted and held signs reading, “Keep your laws off my body” and “we will not go back."

Black Lives Matter

The Black Lives Matter movement has sparked both peaceful and non-peaceful protests across the United States for a while now, but it seems like people are starting to listen. Most of the protests are peaceful, but unfortunately some people use this movement to spark violence between supporters and non-supporters of the movement. The more racism there is in America, the more push back there is against it. As unfortunate as it is that racism still exists in our beautiful country, it is important to speak up (in peaceful protest) and remind those around you in your everyday life to be tolerant and kind to others. Recently, there has been more hate crimes against Muslims, against the LGTBQ+ community and minorities as a whole. Don’t be a bystander and allow your friends or even strangers to engage in this rhetoric. Let your voice be heard, and remind your fellow citizens that discrimination of any kind should not be tolerated. The more people who speak up, the more united we can become! In this year alone, Black Lives Matter has gained more traction in the police force and has raised awareness about issues people tend to turn a blind eye to. Let’s keep the positivity going, and hopefully oust the negative hate and violence that has been circulating around our country for far too long.

LGTBQ+

All across the world this year, the LGTBQ+ community has been speaking out against negativity. Having the right to marry, having the right to love and having equal rights as everyone else is not too much to ask for. For some reason, it is 2016 (almost 2017) and we still have to march in the streets for equality that should be inherent. Keep marching and let your voices be heard!

No matter what the issue is, if you see something wrong, do not sit there quietly. Go out there and remind everyone that people care. When negative things come into our lives, we should not be expected to sit and wait to see what the eventual outcome will be. Throughout history, peaceful protests have achieved many great things, let's not stop now!