UC Davis students continue to protest Trump’s presidential victory
Over 100 students gathered at the Memorial Union (MU) flagpole at 10:00 a.m. on Nov. 10 to protest Donald Trump winning the presidential election.
The rally began with several UC Davis students sharing their thoughts and fears post-election as well as ways to move forward in protesting Trump’s presidency. Some students led chants, such as “say it loud and say it clear, immigrants are welcome here.”
The protesters then marched throughout campus with their signs, which included phrases like “Trump is not my president” and “fight against white supremacy.” As they marched, they chanted “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA” and “f*uck Donald Trump.” The group returned to the MU around 12:00 p.m. Students then took turns speaking into a megaphone about ways to resist a Trump presidency and leading chants such as “we are America, Trump is not America,” “not my president” and “the people united will never be divided.”
Students attended the rally to find hope during a fearful time and solidarity with others in the UC Davis community.
“I’m scared for me, I’m scared for my family, [for] my family members that are illegal,” said Jenifer Elizabeth Velazquez Sanchez, a third-year psychology major. “I came here legally but I’m still not a citizen so I fear for myself and I fear for my safety and I fear for my fellow classmates’ safety and I just think it’s ridiculous how someone like this can get into power and I do think it is like ‘white lash,’ like some other people have mentioned against minorities and against different people, against LGBT community, against Hispanics, […] it’s just a shame to me and it is scary.”
Many students found comfort in coming together as a community and showing support for those who felt threatened by a Trump presidency.
“I’m just so proud of us as students, that we actually can make a difference,” said Amber Kumar, a third-year computer science, design and communications major who attended the rally. “The fact that the millennial map says that we’d all vote for Hillary is just out of this world to me and I know that we’re all feeling a lot of pain and I’m just glad that we can put that pain into passion and make it into something very constructive. So I’m very proud of us as a school.”
Chris Alfaro, a third-year political science and Chicana/Chicano studies double major, appreciates that UC Davis provides a space in which students can protest the election results.
“I have a lot of friends at other universities,” Alfaro said. “I posted a video of a protest and one of my friends was like ‘I’m glad that you guys are protesting. Unfortunately my school isn’t.’ […] I’m proud of the fact that my school provides [this] space for everybody.”
Written by: Alyssa Vandenberg — campus@theaggie.org
