More than 1 millions people rallied at The Women's March in D.C., around the nation, and around the world on January 21st. Even as I drove the streets of my college town, I saw people carrying signs and making their voices heard. While I'll try not to get too into politics, I do need to talk about something very important to me and many, many others:

Women's rights.

I've been made fun of for being a feminist for the longest time. All throughout high school, I was never silent about my feminist agenda. I'm even louder and prouder about it now that I'm in college. I've talked about feminism with tons of people in hopes that I could convince them that everyone should be a feminist, men and women alike. Feminism isn't about women being above men, it's about women and men being equal.

I'm not blaming anyone for the gender divide in our country. I'm not playing the victim card and asking for pity. I'm just asking for a change. The Women's March tried to bring awareness to the changes that need to happen. We live in a nation that claims is one of the most progressive in the world, and yet we are still struggling with these issues. We are way better of than women were in the 1800's, even the 1900's. That's mainly because of the women who have fought to get us to where we are today. But we still have a long way to go.

I want to be able to walk from my car at night without having to hold my keys in my knuckles in case I have to protect myself against a predator. This is something I learned in 8th grade, at 13 years old.

I want sanitary products to be cheaper. I definitely didn't choose the period life and hate that I have to spend $8 on a box of tampons.

Speaking of tampons, I want the Pink Tax to disappear. It IS a real thing. Groundswell.org said that Women spend an average of $1351 in extra costs and fees each year. We are making less and paying more.

I want the wage gap to disappear. This severely affects women of color, as shown on the following chart (from 2014 but the statistics haven't changed that much):

I want to have access to affordable health care so women can afford things like birth control pills and IUD's. I also want abortion to solely be a woman's choice. Taking away access to abortions isn't going to stop them from happening, it'll just lead to more unsafe practices.

I want the normalization of women majoring in math and science and women in sports media. They're not "female doctors", "female sports reporters", and "female engineers". They're just doctors, sports reporters, and engineers doing their jobs, and doing them well.

I want women of color, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and all other marginalized groups to feel safe and not fear for their safety.

I want to see a woman run for President and be looked at as a serious politician. I don't want her outfits to be criticized or hear about how her lipstick was smudged onto her teeth when her opponent was talking about grabbing women by the pussy and mocking a reporter with disabilities.

I want to feel like my voice matters and that I can actually make a change instead of being told to "sit down and just accept it."

From the Women's March on Versailles in 1789, to the Women’s Suffrage Parade in Washington DC in 1913, to the Million Women March in 2017, we have been fighting for decades for what we believe in. Whether you agree with what I've written or not, this is the truth. We still have so much to accomplish and together we can make a change. So yes, I am a proud feminist. And I will not be quiet.

I've decided to include a few quotes and posters from the Women's March that I personally enjoyed. I hope you find them as empowering as I do.

United we stand.

"Welcome to the revolution of love! To the rebellion. To our refusal as women to accept this new age of tyranny. The revolution starts here. My question to you today is, Are you ready? I said, Are you ready? Say, Yes, we’re ready! …. Yes, I am angry. Yes, I am outraged. Yes I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House. But I know this won’t change anything. We cannot fall into despair. As the poet W. H. Auden once wrote on the eve of World War II, we must love one another or die. I choose love. Are you with me? Say this with me: We. Choose. Love.” — Madonna

"Our dignity, our character, our rights have all been under attack, and a platform of hate and division assumed power yesterday. But the president is not America... We are American. And we are here to stay." — America Ferrera

"Today, we're here to deliver a message: We're not going to take this lying down... For the majority of people in this country, Planned Parenthood is not the problem- we're the solution." — Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood

"Our pussies ain't for grabbing. They're for reminding you that our walls are stronger than American's ever will be. Our pussies are for our pleasure. They are for birthing new generations of filthy, vulgar, nasty, proud, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh- you name it- for new generations of nasty women. So if you a nasty woman, or you love one who is, let me hear you say, hell yeah." — Ashley Judd reciting the words of 19-year-old Nina Donovan from Middle, Tennessee

"We will not allow our bodies to be owned and controlled by men in government or any men anywhere for that matter. We will not allow our compassionate souls to get stepped on. We want the best for all Americans. No hate. No bigotry. No Muslim registry. We value education, healthcare, and equality." — Alicia Keys

"Let us fight with love, faith, and courage so that our families will not be destroyed. I also want to tell the children not to be afraid, because we are not alone. There are still many people that have their hearts filled with love. Let's keep together and fight for the rights. God is with us." — Sophie Cruz, 6-year-old immigration activist

"We recognize that we are collective agents of history and that history cannot be deleted like web pages... This women's march represents the promise of feminism as against the pernicious powers of state violence. An inclusive and intersectional feminism that calls upon all of us to join the resistance to racism, to Islamophobia, to anti-Semitism, to misogyny, to capitalist exploitation." — Angela Davis, author and civil rights activist