BSU Stands Together Rally: A Reminder of Campus Unity
On the rainy Thursday, April 3, BSU students and faculty gathered in front of Boyden Hall to stand up and rally against new legislation being passed from the Trump administration. According to the flyers announcing the rally, which took place for an hour from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., the purpose of the rally was to “Break the silence, show support, and reaffirm your commitment to protecting academic freedom, freedom of speech, and the fundamental values of public higher education.”
This act of unity was nothing short of inspiring. Over a hundred students, faculty, and other supporters were in attendance of several speakers who spoke on the Trump administration’s executive orders and other federal government actions that impact students, specifically marginalized groups regarding race, sexual orientation, and disability.
Of the speakers at the rally included students, faculty, campus affinity group speakers (from LGCIE, SAS, and the Pride Center), and President Clark. Although each speaker introduced different topics to discuss, there was one main idea that was reiterated time and time again. Sharon Pitterson-Ogaldez, the Director of the Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity, said it perfectly: “When we stand together, we have more power.”
In addition to the speakers, posters were handed out in addition to cards that read a person’s rights if they were to be approached by ICE, which included both English and Spanish translations.
This rally made it clear: the values of BSU will continue to be upheld. BSU will support all students regardless of their identity and will not give in to the demands of the Trump administration. All the speakers were endorsed by President Fred Clark, who gave a passionate speech through a mega phone. At the end of his speech, Clark summed up BSU’s stance on responding to the Trump administration. “If we are directed to ignore our values, we will not cower, we will not hesitate, we will ready ourselves together to fight for our values… we will say no.”
While we are lucky to attend a university that upholds these values in support of all people, we are still struck by the effects of President Trump’s harmful orders. One of BSU’s own graduate students had their visa revoked by the federal government. Actions like this one is why it is important now more than ever to stand together and defend our rights as students and as citizens of the U.S.
