New York, NY – On January 24, over 50 NYU students gathered at a rally called by the NYU Students for a Democratic Society (NYU SDS) to protest against Trump’s backwards agenda for his second term as president. The rally took place at Garibaldi Plaza at Washington Square Park, a popular rallying spot for NYU student organizations. 

Students chanted, “No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA!”, “Racist, sexist, anti-gay Donald Trump go away” and “Trump hear us loud and clear, immigrants are welcome here!” Hundreds of people walked by the rally, stopping for brief moments to take photos and videos or to catch parts of it. 

Speakers from the NYU SDS, NYU Queer Union, NYU Students for Justice in Palestine (NYU SJP), NYU Black Student Union and the NYU Young Democratic Socialists of America (NYU YDSA) brought attention to the various attacks that Trump had already launched or plans on launching on the American people, including the NYU student body. 

In response to these attacks, speakers called on the people to unite, build community and fight back. 

“We must continue to support efforts for diversity, equity and inclusion. To combat white supremacy, to fight against a world that only recognizes heterosexual attraction, to oppose a world where the gender binary is the only reality, we must be louder and more forceful,” said the speaker from the NYU Queer Union. 

The speaker for NYU YDSA, said “Let me tell you we cannot fall into this world of despair, misery and belief that all we can do is stand by as conditions get worse hoping that will wake people up on their own. The work starts now. To educate, agitate and organize for the better world that each and every one of us deserves.”

After the speakers, protesters marched by the NYU campus. As they marched, campus security officers ran to set up barriers by NYU Gould Plaza. Gould Plaza used to be a public space that anyone was able to enter. However, after the first encampment at NYU, the administration had walls and a checkpoint constructed, restricting access to the plaza to only NYU students. As protesters marched, they chanted “The students united will never be defeated” with hundreds of NYU students looking on and making way for the crowd. 

The march ended at Schwartz Plaza, the site of the NYU second encampment from last year. Schwartz Plaza is next to the John A. Paulson Center, named after a billionaire hedge funder who donated millions to the Trump campaign. Campus security rushed to put up barriers in front of the plaza to prevent protesters from entering it. 

Ebtesham Ahmed, the emcee and a member of NYU SDS, ended the rally by saying, “We will be here to resist. We will be here to fight back. No matter how much they try to repress our movement, they will fail. Because we are daring to struggle and daring to win! And from the bottom of my heart, I believe that we will win.”

#NewYorkCityNY #NYC #NYU #NYUSDS #SDS #NYUQueerUnion #NYUSJP #SJP #BSU #NYUBSU #NYUYDSA #YDSA #Trump #Inauguration

Salt Lake City, UT – On Thursday, October 24, over 40 students and community members gathered in protest on the University of Utah campus to defend diversity in higher education. The protesters demanded that the school reopen the resource centers for Black, women and LGBTQ students closed by HB 261, the Utah Republicans’ bill attacking diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

The teach-in for diversity countered a racist event held by Young Americans for Freedom, a small and unpopular student group supported by Republicans. Despite the chilly temperatures, that group’s turnout was dwarfed by students chanting and listening as leaders from affected student groups and movements explained how HB 261 and racist attacks on education impact their organizations and constituencies.

“You can’t have true equality until you have equity,” said Nevaeh Parker of the Black Student Union. Parker explained that the BSU chose to end official sponsorship with the University of Utah due to its failures to Black students in the wake of HB 261. Protesters chanted, “Education is a right, not just for the rich and white!”

Alisi Fihaki of the Pacific Islander Student Association also sharply criticized the Republican bill, calling it a “flawed attempt that gives a variety of restrictions and consequences to students of color on campus.”

Speakers from MEChA de U of U also pointed out that the University of Utah went above the required steps to comply with HB 261, citing other Utah colleges which have maintained student resource centers. They called on students to protest the administration to win back DEI on campus.

As the night grew cold, hand-warmers were distributed to the crowd to maintain morale as speakers from the LGBTQ movement spoke on the Republican efforts to erase their presence on campus.

Ien Zielinski, the leader of the Utah Student Pride Center, said, “I started the Student Pride Center to show people that we all belong here.” Celeste Wallin of Utah Students for a Democratic Society said that “unlike the community centers, trans people are still here and always will be here. We can never be erased!”

Ruby Bollinger of Utah SDS ended the night, saying, “If we organize and protest, we can get the women's center back and all the other resources that we have lost. In fact, it is necessary that we do so.”

The teach-in was organized by the Black Student Union, the Pacific Islander Student Association, the Student Pride Center, MEChA de U of U, and Utah SDS.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #StudentMovement #SDS #BSU #Mecha #DEI