I Can’t Vote, But I Have A Voice

On September 13, 2007, I
visited a place that most
people have only seen on
TV. It is a place where a lot
of historic events took
place, for instance the
March on Washington and
the Million Man March. I went there for an anti-war rally with my mom Carol Ammons
and our friend, Kimberly Kranich. We got on the road around 4:00 p.m. going to Chicago
and arrived at Midway airport about 5:45 p.m. to catch our flight. We got on the plane
and a few minutes later we were off, gliding through the air until we landed at the Ronald
Reagan airport in Washington D.C.
We retrieved our bags and went to catch the Metro train. Washington, D.C. has one of
the best public transportation systems in the United States, in my opinion. It has the best
transportation because you are able to travel all over the city in minutes. It does not cost a
lot of money and it goes so far around the city that you have no real reason to drive unless
you are going out of town. When we got off of the Metro, we rode the biggest escalator I’ve
ever seen. It was about 50 feet tall. We had to walk to a lady’s house by the name of Martha
Allan. She has a wonderful home that she shares with her husband Jonathan and daughter
Zenia. We spent the evening getting to know each other until we finally went to bed.
The next day we went to talk with Rev. James Luther Bevel, director of direct action in
the Civil Rights Movement. We spent a few hours with him, then we went home to rest
for the march the next day. The following morning we got ready and headed to the Metro
once again. This time the train didn’t get us as close as we wanted it to and we had to
walk a long way to the starting place of the march. The march was supposed to start at
noon so we got there around 11:30 a.m. We talked to people from all over the United
States: Virginia, California, and Illinois. Nearly everyone brought a sign that expressed
what they felt. They knew why they were there and had all the information to support it.
I say that because the people that brought signs explained what their signs were all about,
including years, days, even the names of the people they were talking about. They weren’t
afraid of the response that they would get. They stood on truth and they wouldn’t back
down on what they were saying.
There were so many people that we did not start moving until 3:00. While we were
marching there were people on the sideline who were pro-war and of course, we were
anti-war. Over 15,000 people marched for peace from the White House to the Capital
building. The Capital grass was unbelievable. I was so tired that it served as a soft bed.
Washington D.C. is a place that you must visit so you can see all of the historic treasures
and start to understand government. While there, I was able to visit Fredrick Douglass’
house, the Lincoln Memorial, the Pentagon, the Washington Monument and the White
House, all while voicing my opinion against the war.