Becoming aware of the March for Life only two years ago, I can say with confidence that it’s one of the most powerful and empowering events I’ve ever attended. The March for life, an annual protest against the 1973 “Roe Vs Wade” Supreme Court decision, fights to end the legal abortions in America. I used quotations around the word protest because the March is not a protest at its core, but rather a celebration. Throughout the March, you will not find a man, woman, or child chanting awful slurs or inciting violence, like many other protests. The streets are full of thousands of people holding signs and singing songs, often church hymns, or other music pertaining to faith. The atmosphere is one of happiness and joy, not condemning tone like that of other protests.

The journey to Washington D.C. for the March started at Saint Joe’s School in Mendham, where I, along with other Delbarton students, boarded a bus. With a bus full of nuns from Sisters of Christian Charity and several St. Joe’s students, our group began the five-hour ride down to Washington D.C.

When getting off the bus, we could immediately feel the super-charged atmosphere. Groups of people stormed by, anxious to get into the crowds flocking to the start of the March. Nearing the National Mall, the number of people grew exponentially, crowds listened to notable pro-life speakers such as Ben Shapiro, Abby Johnson, Carl Anderson, and Vice President Mike Pence. President Trump also gave a speech for the second time at the March. He is the first president to recognize and give a speech supporting the March.

In our small group of around ten, we roamed the starting line of the March until at last, we began forward, towards to the Capitol building. It all started very slowly as we waited for around thirty minutes, but when the marching started, everything changed. Smiles on everyone’s faces came out and the singing and praising finally started. This March is truly a celebration; not a protest, not a riot, but a simple celebration of life which asserts the right to life for every human being, born or unborn.

After each March, there is a bitter-sweet feeling. Even though it’s often freezing, you feel as though you could keep marching forever with the support of everyone around you. In the end, it’s enlightening to realize that over a hundred thousand people go to the March each year to proclaim fact: life begins at conception. It is this true feeling of celebration and comradeship that has made an impression on me; I intend on coming every year I possibly can.