Part of Archer’s mission is to “strengthen girls’ voices in a diverse and culturally rich environment.” Attending a recent anti-Trump protest rally was, for one group of seniors, evidence of how that mission comes to life. 

Many students were upset about the results of the election on Nov. 9.

“I feel ashamed to be part of a country who elected a president that condones racism, homophobia and sexism,” Seana Duffy-Reddy ’17 said. “As a woman growing up in Los Angeles, I have never really felt the disadvantages of being female until now. It breaks my heart to know that someone like Trump is representing our nation and I am worried for our futures.”

“In councils, I heard girls say that they feel insecure and worried about their future in this country because of their race, their gender, their sexual identity, etc.,” Marine Yamada ’17 said.

“After the election day I really found myself feeling very hopeless for our country’s future and worried for my own future as a Jewish woman,” Anabel Robertson ’17 said.

As a result, these seniors wanted to make their voices heard in the larger Los Angeles community.

On Nov. 12, around 15 Archer students went to an anti-Trump rally in Downton LA, and they said this was the exact thing they needed.

“I had been talking to a few of my peers for a few days after the election and decided that I wanted to go to the rally to fight for what I believe in and gain back some of the hope I had lost,” Robertson said.

“I felt unbelievably sad and hopeless [after the election] until I marched through the streets of downtown Los Angeles,” Yamada said.

“I was very angered and nervous and scared with the results of the election, and I wanted to voice how I was feeling with like-minded people,” Sarah Walston ’17 said.

The rally gave the girls a chance to unite with the other members of the Los Angeles area who felt the same as they did.

“I felt connected to my city as 13,000 of us proudly chanted and held our posters high as cars honked in support,” Yamada said. “Little girls and boys came out of an apartment complex, cheering and thanking us. A man on a bridge held his arm towards the sky in solidarity.”

The concept of unity played a key role in the protest.

“I felt really good and it made me feel really good after to make me know that I wasn’t alone in how I was feeling,” Walston said. “It was really inspiring to me because so many people with different social backgrounds were unified together.”

The seniors interviewed said that Archer played a key role in developing their voices to be able to go out and fight for what they believe in.

“I think Archer gave me the confidence to [go to the rally]. I think Archer does a pretty good job of not being biased and let students give their own opinions,” Walston said. “I think that being an Archer girl empowered me to share my voice.”

“Yes, not only do I think Archer played a role, but I really think that it was the main reason that I had the confidence to go to the rally and take action in changing my future,” Robertson said.

Although she didn’t identify as a feminist before this election, she always believed that women’s rights were important and thought the rest of the country did too.

“I was completely shocked because I thought that it was a normal thing to do — believe in the equality of men and women and everyone in between — but I soon realized why people do call themselves feminists because the rest of the world is not like Archer — but hopefully one day it will be,” Robertson said. “I now proudly call myself a feminist.”