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Nebraskans "fighting for human rights" in Trump era

Organizers: "not anti-Trump" but opposes his views
Posted at 12:32 PM, Jan 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-20 15:24:46-05

Some Nebraskans are in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, while critics are taking their voices straight to the nation's capital.

Inside the parking lot of First United Methodist Church early Friday morning, several dozens of people boarded busses. Their making the 17-hour trip to join the Women’s March on Saturday, a demonstration advocating for human rights, activists say.

A divided nation still lingers as supporters celebrate Trump’s seat in the Oval Office and critics send messages.

"I accept who are president is, but I think he needs to know a lot of people are concerned about women's rights, human rights about the kind of decisions you're going to make,” says Bobbie Cizek, a Papillion mother whose joining the event.

For these unhappy voters, they've heard it all  before, being told to “Suck it up buttercup” and called “sore losers.”

But Ronda Rankin, the Nebraska state transportation coordinator for the Women's March, says their grassroots movement goes beyond the election results.

We’ve already accepted his win, but we’re concerned about the future, she says.

Some say they can't shake the behavior seen in the last election cycle – like a comment made by Trump about Hillary Clinton during the last presidential debate.

"If she's a nasty woman, I'm a nasty woman,” Rankin says. “[T]hat's kind of what a lot of women feel.”

Repeatedly, all morning long, supporters kept saying the march isn't about being anti-Trump, but about being dissatisfied with the current political sphere.

"We're not there to protest. We're just there for a peaceful demonstration. So we're just not going to engage,” Rankin says.

The group says it plans to focus on human rights, including race, gender and LGBTQ.

The repeal of the Affordable Care Act and federal defunding of Planned Parenthood are also concerns, Rankin says.

Admittedly, these marchers say they can't unseat Trump, but say they plan to make their presence known.

Organizers say cities in the U.S. and other countries plan to march to show solidarity.

A local march will take place Saturday at 5 p.m. at the CenturyLink Center. For more information, click here.