The Alabama Public Radio news team is welcoming journalist Ousmane Sagara. He's a veteran radio reporter from the west central African nation of Mali, and part of a three week visiting journalist program. Ousmane arrived in the United States on January 20th, in time to witness the inauguration of Donald Trump as President. Below is his account, of that day and the protest marches that followed, for the Renouveau News Service in Mali's capitol city of Bomako--Pat Duggins
"The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States marked the beginning of Donald Trump's four-year term as president. Trump is therefore the first person to be inaugurated as president without previous military or government service. Faced to this inauguration, more than a million people composed of anti-Trump, supported by nearly 200 activist groups and organizations carried out the last Saturday 21st 2017 on Pennsylvania Avenue close to Capitol, a protest march against its inauguration. Back on this march with our reporter Ousmane SAGARA.
They came from all over the country including Florida, California, Alabama, and Pennsylvania to take part in this historic march against the president-elect. At the eve of this march, we met some women in the national Newsroom on January 18th.
For Priscilla Carson of California, Trump's policy does not rhyme with the expectations of the population “I came for the walk for many reasons. My biggest concern is Trump's policy on health coverage. I worry that he let down Obamacare that is a health policy that is accessible to all Americans. By the way, Trump did not win, it was the bad American electoral system that he took advantage. The people chose Hillary and the great voters chose Trump. Before this situation one cannot remain indifferent’’
Florida activist Madonna Fiery follows the same logic: Justice must prevail. God did not act on the selection of candidates, but he will act towards the end. Today’s March is the beginning of our history. The revolution, the struggle for freedom, begins here and now. We are not afraid, because we are not alone. And we do not fall.
Another activist from Pennsylvania, America Ferreira went even further “President Trump is not America, his cabinet is not America, neither is Congress. We are America. We walk today for our families, for our children, for the future generation. We are marching today against a president who cares nothing, a threatening president with divisionist speeches. Mr. Trump, we refuse. This struggle, which begins today, will continue until the final victory”.
Inspired by the philosophy of the Alabama activist, Rosa Parks, the mother of the civil rights movement in the US, these American women who started this great march of protest in the aftermath of Trump's inauguration do not turn back until their claims be taken into account."
