On a rainy Saturday afternoon, thousands of men, children, and, of course, women, came out to the streets of Atlanta for one reason — to make their voices be heard. That’s because this particular Saturday, Jan. 21, was the 2017 Atlanta March for Social Justice & Women.

This peaceful protest, which consisted of a march from the Center for Civil & Human Rights to the Liberty Plaza at the Georgia state capitol, was a time for people of all kinds to come out, look beyond their differences, and make their voices heard about women’s rights and various human rights issues. This was also a time for those feeling oppressed by the new President Donald Trump to feel a sense of togetherness and comfort, which was evident by the many signs and chants.

This desire was also apparent from the many interviews that fellow VOX teen staffer Mack Walker and I heard while reporting from this event.

“I’m out here trying to support all the people being oppressed by Trump and what he believes in, as well as to protest … how ridiculous Trump is,” said 14-year-old William Johns from Decatur. Similarly, 18-year-old Madeline Moore from Atlanta said she was there “because America elected a president who doesn’t stand for what America stands for…and doesn’t accept every single individual.”

What was easily the most thought-provoking answer to me was from stay-at-home mom Jamelia who, with her two daughters by her side, said with this when asked why it’s important to have your voice heard: “Because a closed mouth doesn’t get fed. So, if you want something, you gotta speak up for it.”

Mikael, 18, is a freshman at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta where he majors in animation. Mikael has made a host of stop-motion and claymation short films, including his award-winning short film “The Tree That Refused To Fall,” and all of them can be found on his YouTube channel, Cyclops Studios.

Mack Walker, 14 and a ninth-grader at Westlake High School, was the reporter for this story.