As the United States reacts to the win of Donald Trump and JD Vance in the presidential election, Michigan State students took to the streets of campus in protest. Starting at 2 p.m., Students United Against Fascism and other organizations in the Hurriya Coalition planned a walkout across campus on Friday. Held at Demonstration Field, the event grabbed the attention of many students across campus.
The walkout began with several chants including phrases such as “Show me what democracy looks like,” “Stand up. Fight back!” and “Go green, go white, stand up and fight!” Several students from different organizations related to the Hurriya Coalition spoke to the crowd. Ateeyah Abdul-Wasi, a primary event organizer and a senior social relations and policy major, led the speakers throughout the event.
Many participants of the walkout say they are frightened by what the Trump presidency could mean for them, citing an increase in transphobic, racist, homophobic and xenophobic violence, along with political policies that put their identities and safety at risk.
The event’s first speaker, Caija, started with an emotional story about the night the election results were confirmed. They stated that even their younger cousin was frightened by the results. Caija stated that:
“Although I came across countless posts from primarily queer youth contemplating suicide in the days following, I watched as my family members were harassed and attacked by other relatives for their pain in the fear they feel for their lives and their rights. You’re all probably scared and probably going through the same things, feelings, emotions, confrontations that me and my family are right now, and I’ll tell you all the same thing. I told them in the aftermath. This is not the end. Queer people, black people, Indigenous people, people of color, women, we’ve all faced this type of hate before and we’ve fought our way out.”
Attitudes toward what a Trump presidency means for marginalized groups defined the topics of the walkout. Speakers shared their stories about being scared but with an undertone of encouraging the scared and the frightened to fight alongside others who feel the same.
The walkout wasn’t just about specific concerns with a Trump presidency but also included discussion on several issues currently affecting the world. Another speaker, Owen, made the following remark:
“We cannot forget that climate change is destroying cities and families across the globe. We cannot ignore the fact that there are people dying in the Middle East due to a genocide that our tax dollars fund and we cannot accomplish our goals without the aid of our communities and our people. That is why I say apathy is our biggest enemy because apathy is the wall that holds us back from reaching the people’s hearts and minds. However, apathy is a paper wall, one that we can knock over. By simply speaking, all it takes to break this wall and achieve our goals is to make your voices heard.”
Emotions flared as the walkout continued, students shared their fears and how they feel they may have to fight for their lives under the upcoming presidency. Many students declared the need to fight for their freedom, to change the system that they believe oppresses them and brings suffering to others like them.
Before the protest began moving in front of the Spartan Statue, another student made an emotional remark to the group. Jason, another speaker, told the crowd:
“I don’t want to die in a fight against the government, but I will. I’ll resist against a system till my last breath. Not just for my rights, but for every single person here who lives with the knowledge their existence is threatened by this government and any other, and with one last but hefty ask, I plead you do the same for every single person here.”
Outside of a determination to fight, an underlying message of hope and love was spread.
“We must show up for each other when our communities face hardship,” Jason continued to share. “We must give aid to each other when our communities face unfair tragedies, we must educate each other on our personal struggles that we’re ignorant about. This is a battle against a system that seeks to divide us and crush us. We must combat their hate with our love, our love for each other, our love for our possible future, our love for life itself.”
Not long after Jason’s remarks, another speaker, Isa, described their experience of being the child of an immigrant parent. After this, they left a hopeful message for the future:
“…you cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. It is in your spirit or it is nowhere. You can only be the revolution. Let those words ring true. Today. We stand in a large group and we chant and we share community, and we see the power of our numbers. Tomorrow though is just as important. A revolution isn’t a gathering of people. It is the beliefs you conceive in your mind. It is treating people with kindness and love. It is hoping and working towards the future you wish to see.”
During the walkout, the chants and messages from speakers continued for almost two hours. While they spoke, members of the public passing by gave their opinions, including cars honking in support as they passed or attempts to disrupt the walkout through counter-protesting.
As the crowd dispersed, Impact interviewed the primary speaker, Abdul-Wasi. When asked what Students United Against Fascism was, they responded “We fight against fascism, hatred. We don’t want hate. We want to spread love and be a space for our community to come together and be able to know that they’re not alone and that there’s ways that we can organize to get somewhere outside of fascism, which we would not want.”
Closing the event, Abdul-Wasi was also asked what they think the main message of the event was. “I think the message was strength and resilience,” Abdul-Wasi said.
