After Donald Trump's inauguration a little over two months ago, cities all over the world stood up and made one thing clear: we the people aren't going anywhere. After participating in my first protest of Trump's ever-evolving fascist regime, I felt completely invigorated and ready to stand up for what's right for these next four years. The one question that I got asked by someone that really got under my skin was, "How is protesting going to change anything?" It got under my skin because that type of attitude towards our power as a people is truly disheartening. America is a land of the people, for the people and by the people. The assumption that the voices of the resistance in America are falling on deaf ears felt like a swift punch to the gut.

At another rally, following the first installment of Trump's travel ban, one speaker said something that excited me to my core:

In my eyes, there are four branches of government in the United States of America: Executive, Legislative, Judicial, and The People.

So, what exactly has the resistance movement in America accomplished you ask? Just last month, within the time span of one week, 1.5 million calls shook the Senate demanding that our elected officials do their job representing us, the people. Protests like the Women's March, the largest single-day demonstration in the history of the United States, sent the message to officials that we are not going to stand back and watch as our rights get stripped away from us. The results of this massive uprising are significant. Not one, but two versions of Trump's travel ban have been halted and blocked by lower courts, a fantastic example of checks and balances in America. Now, we have just heard the news that Trump's early attempt to repeal Obamacare (which would literally leave millions uninsured), has crashed and burned as the bill to repeal and replace got pulled from further consideration.

The false belief that the resistance isn't accomplishing anything is nothing but nonsense. We need to keep resisting and keep standing up for the values we share as Americans. When we all come together and stand up against Trump and his administration, we are protecting this land and everything that makes America our home.

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

- "The New Colossus," Emma Lazarus