On March 12, under blue skies that matched the many shirts emblazoned with “March in March,” a broad coalition of unions, students, and education advocacy groups marched from Sacramento’s Southside Park to the steps of the Capitol to demand support for community colleges and higher education.

They gathered in part to confront the basic needs insecurity and financial instability that plague the majority of California’s community college students.

“Some people may not be directly affected… but we must still fight for those who are,” said Angelo Panameno, a student intern with the Los Angeles Community College Guild making her second attempt at school after withdrawing due to housing insecurity. Speaking of students “feeling as if tomorrow is out of reach,” Panameno pointed to both students and adjunct instructors sleeping in their cars, and the ripple effects on student success. Still, she struck a hopeful note: “As long as we move a path for future generations, we can be proud of what we do.”

The union’s role in the march was underscored by CFT Executive Vice President Juan Ramirez, himself a product of the California community college system: “We as union leaders understand the importance of community college… It opened the door for me to transfer to a university, build a better life, and for that I have to say thank you.”

Check out a video of CFT members and Juan Ramirez here.

March in March also served as an educational event, with trainings on legislative advocacy, responding to the ongoing threat of ICE on campuses and in communities, and “Know Your Rights” sessions, which one trainer described as “about serving others and the cause of justice.”

Also present were more than half a dozen state legislators, including 52nd District (East LA) Assemblymember Jessica Caloza, who reflected on attending the march as a student 15 years earlier: “We were here because they weren’t listening to student stories, and that’s why we’re here today.” Among the other legislative attendees was Patrick Ahrens, a champion for tuition-free community college.

For San Diego Guild member Kelly Mayhew, who brought a team of student interns, March in March is about advancing the cause of public education—something she says she has “dedicated her entire life and career” to.

James McKeever, president of the LA Community College Faculty Guild and a lead organizer of the march, said, “What we do is important. We want to make sure that you have the future you were promised… the future you deserve, and the future you’re willing to fight for.”

As the largest system of higher education in the country, the California Community College system leads the way in educating and uplifting students—and that wasn’t lost on the marchers. As one student leader chanted at the rally’s end to a still-charged crowd, “We’re the biggest in the nation… We’re the biggest and the baddest…”

And there, on the Capitol steps, they were heard.