Protesters wound through the streets of Pullman, holding signs such as, “Impeach Trump for Incompetence,” on Saturday afternoon. After marching around the downtown area, the demonstration culminated at Neill Public Library with a flurry of signed postcards to send to Congress demanding the removal of U.S. President Donald Trump.

March organizer and WSU English professor Elizabeth Siler said she hoped the rally would raise awareness of Trump’s and Republicans’ recent actions. If there was one thing that she could possibly achieve during the march, she hoped to evoke a change of attitude in the current GOP.

“That’s the only way we are going to accomplish anything in this country is starting with the grassroots,” Siler said.

Many marchers, including Siler’s husband, held signs which read, “impeach Trump,” accompanied by a hand-painted illustration of the president in a garbage can.

Participant Claudia Wohlfeil didn’t carry a sign, but she came to the march clad in a red cape and a white bonnet. Her outfit mimicked those worn by the characters in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a story of female subjugation in a dystopian future, and she used it as a cautionary warning.

“If we aren’t careful, a fictional show can become reality very quickly,” Wolfheil said.

Wolfheil wasn’t alone in wearing symbolic clothing. Scattered through the crowd were quite a few pink Pussyhats, a reference to a video where Trump made rude, derogatory comments about women.

One of the protesters sporting a Pussyhat, Karen Schmidt, said she was proud to wear hers, noting how important they are to women.

“Pink hats had a great impact, and that has been sustained,” Schmidt said.

There were other women present who had personal connection to the country’s future. A child wove her way between people, her blonde hair easy to identify in the sea of dark winter coats. Her mother, Katrin Kunz, said she was there for more than her own gain. She sought to imprint the importance of knowing one’s rights and being informed about one’s country on her young daughter.

“She might be able to change something with voicing her opinion,” Kunz said. “She does not need to take for granted what is going on right now.”