“Being present and not just seeing it on social media means a lot”

SLU-Madrid students dressed in purple, made placards and joined the tens of thousands of Madrileños who marched down the Paseo del Prado this spring in the annual International Women’s Day demonstration.

The Human Rights Club gathered a contingency of roughly 20 students and professors to join the March 8 rally, which began in Atocha and continued to the Plaza de Coló n. Other students marched separately in smaller groups.

“One of our goals this semester was to be more proactive,” said Victoria Flores, president of the Human Rights Club. “I have been spamming the WhatsApp group chat to get the student body more involved in human rights.”

As she spoke, Flores held her sign upright for all to see: “Women’s rights are human rights,” it read.

This was Flores’ first time attending the Women’s Day march, and she’s glad she went. “I believe it’s about coming to the march and understanding the real meaning of it,” Flores said, while near her stood a mother and son with a sign that said, “Fight like a Girl!”

“Being present and not just seeing it on social media means a lot,” Flores said.