Tampa students and community members rally against Trump’s agenda
Tampa, FL – On Wednesday, February 12, students and community members organized by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), gathered on 50th and Fowler, a location directly across the street from the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida (USF), to rally against Trump’s agenda.
They demanded that the USF administration protect transgender and queer students, protect immigrant and undocumented students, defend Black history programs, implement more diversity initiatives, and keep Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Connor Jaap of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society led chants, shouting, “Trans rights are human rights!” People nearby and passing cars honked and cheered as the protestors chanted, “When Black history is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”
SDS previously launched a “Defend Diversity” campaign in response to the USF administration’s attacks on DEI, with demands to protect Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies, expanding Africana studies, and funding multicultural organizations.
USF administration continues to remain one of the most politically repressive universities in the country, where they punish, brutally attack and arrest students and community members who try to hold the USF administration accountable. Most recently, in response to this repression, Tampa Bay SDS launched its Title VI legal battle, a Civil Rights Act of 1964 discriminatory complaint, filed against USF for its discrimination against pro-Palestine students and groups.
Currently, with Trump’s presidency, the threat of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) places undocumented students at risk of deportation.
“We demand that USF not allow ICE on our campus!” Victoria Hinckley from Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society exclaimed, “Make USF a sanctuary campus for undocumented students!” As of February 14, USF administration refuses to speak out in support of protecting its immigrant and undocumented students on campus.
Despite USF’s continuous attempts to silence the opinions of its student body, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society continues to lead the struggle against the USF administration to regain its right to free speech and the right to organize with students.