A few years ago I participated in my first protest. It was against the Ringling Bros. circus in Grand Rapids, MI. I had been an animal lover my whole life and the circus is something that I have always been against. During college I decided to do something about my beliefs. It felt amazing to be out there fighting for what I believe in, being active instead of just talking about it or sitting in my room stewing about the injustice to animals humans enact. And I was around people who believed what I believe.
My mom went accompanied me to that first circus protest and when she told some of her friends they asked, “So did you scream at people?” At that moment I realized there was a lot of misconceptions about protests. Sometimes, when people think about protesters they imagine people holding offensive signs and yelling. Sometimes they think of riots breaking out and people destroying and burning things. They think of people screaming in others’ faces. None of those things have happened at the protests I attend. Well, maybe the occasional yelling from certain protesters but I assure you they are the minority. Screaming, fighting, destroying things is good for getting attention, but not changing minds. If someone is yelling something in your face, no matter how much it makes sense or is clearly right you are going to blow them off or even disagree with them just because they are yelling. As an activist, it’s easy to be angry but screaming and causing problems usually wont bring about much real change. The protests I attend are peaceful. For the Ringling protest there were around 200 people holding posters outside of the arena. That’s it. No yelling, no screaming, no fighting. Protests are about getting your voice heard and spreading information, not attacking people.
Over the past few years I have attended any protest I can for causes I care deeply about. I have stood for the rights of dolphins and other cetaceans at Empty The Tanks. I have stood outside the Japan Embassy in Chicago demanding an end to the Japan Dolphin Slaughter. I have stood in front of Gordon’s Food Service spreading information about the cruelty their chickens endure. I have marched against poaching. I have marched for women’s reproductive rights. And I have gone to many more circus protests since that first one years ago.
Protests are about standing up for what you believe in, standing up against injustice. And they work. After years of protests and activism Barnum and Bailey Ringling Bros. Circus is retiring their elephants. Now they are actually retiring them to a place that will still be exploiting them but that’s another issue for another time. The point is, protesting works. Protesting gets a message out that may not otherwise be heard. It is easy to scroll past something after scanning it and realizing you don’t agree with it or don’t want to know the information. But it is a lot harder to ignore 200 people standing in front of a SeaWorld entrance. If done peacefully protesting can open eyes and ears and hearts to your message.
I protest because I want to be heard. I protest because I want to support the cause. I protest because I want to make people aware, make people think. I protest because it can change the world.