Voices of the Women's March: We Need 'to Be United and to Send a Message,' Says America Ferrera

America Ferrera is ready to fight

She’s with her. And her and her and her.

As 500,000 people took to the streets of the nation’s capital on Saturday for the Women’s March on Washington, America Ferrera was front and center to help lead the protest against Donald Trump‘s presidency.

The actress and activist, who hit the campaign trail for former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during last year’s election and stumped for her at the Democratic National Convention, tells PEOPLE she felt motivated to take action because she believes President Trump is a genuine threat to American values.

“Like so many of us, I felt concerned about the direction of this country and with the eclecticism of the president and his appointees,” she said.

“It felt like, more than ever, the millions of us who believe in the values we’ve held so dear in America needed an action, needed something to come together — to be united and to send a message that we actually are the majority,” she continued. “As long as we stay focused on what aligns us and what unites us we can fight back.”

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Earlier on Saturday, Ferrera spoke out against Trump at the start of the Women’s March, accusing him of “waging a war” against the “moral core” of America.

“It’s been a heartrending time to be both a woman and an immigrant in this country,” she said. “Our dignity, our character, our rights have all been under attack, and a platform of hate and division assumed power yesterday.”

“But the president is not America,” she continued. “His cabinet is not America. Congress is not America. We are America. And we are here to stay.”

Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images

Ferrera tells PEOPLE she plans to continue fighting for human rights and dignity after the march is over.

“I’ve been a part of different convenings in my industry, my hometown in Los Angeles, creating alliances and bridges, challenging myself to step outside of my comfort zone the issues I have historically identified and taken on,” she said.

“I think it’s time for all of us to widen our perspective and widen our circle of what matters to us and what causes we take up. Really at the core of many causes is human dignity. And that is what we share in this fight to be seen and to be valued.”

• Reporting by CHAR ADAMS