A different type of inauguration day
On Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, America welcomed Donald Trump as its 45th president. However, to say it was done with open arms would be incorrect. Some Muhlenberg students showed their distaste for President Trump and his views throughout the day thanks to events in Seegers Union organized by the College Democrats and the Black Student Association.
The College Democrats hosted a "Room to Reflect" in Seegers 109 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Organized by Brigid Deegan ’19, the room was designed to be an area in which students could anonymously write their thoughts and feelings about the new administration.
Deegan expressed that all opinions were welcome saying, “it’s a space to give people room to themselves to reflect how they’re feeling on inauguration day. Whether they’re happy that Trump is president or they are really scared and they really don’t know how to voice it. I really wanted it to be something that was open to everyone.”
The one stipulation was no hate speech and no crossing out of others’ words. If the club members monitoring the room found such violations, they would then cross it out themselves.
Deegan hoped that the room would be an area where students would feel comfortable collecting and expressing their thoughts “without repercussions or people judging how you’re feeling.” Also, she hoped that reading what others had already written might have an effect on students and “that if they see that other people are scared, they’re angry at something that they can know that they’re not feeling alone about it.” Overall, she wished that students who participated would feel good and gain something from writing and being in the room.
As for where she got the idea, Deegan explained that she loves community engagement and over break searched for things that might be a good fit for Muhlenberg. She found a like example from Tufts University in the week following the election. Feeling that Muhlenberg students did not have a similar outlet at the time she thought reformatting the idea for Muhlenberg on inauguration day would be beneficial for students.
Another area where students could express their views was at a sit-in hosted by the Black Student Association (BSA). Held next to the Light Lounge, participating students sat in a roped off area holding signs and listening to music such as Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”. BSA presidents Bree Booth ’19 and Ayanna Costley ’19 and treasurer Kavon Wilson ’19 cited Martin Luther King Jr. as an inspiration for their peaceful protest.
"He stood for justice. He stood for economic justice, he stood for racial justice, he stood for liberty,” said Wilson. He continued by explaining that he feels the new administration and Trump’s presidency are at odds with the ideals that Martin Luther King Jr. represents.
Wilson said that the sit-in is meant to show that they as individuals and as an organization do not support “Trump and people who think like him” because he feels that the new administration and its supporters do not support justice and liberty for all citizens.
"Doing it in an open space, doing it in a building that’s not only open to Muhlenberg students and faculty and staff but also open to the Allentown community and causing a disruption is part of doing a direct action and that’s a big part of this event today,” said Booth.
Booth also that the sit-in was open to anyone who wished to join and that those walking by were encouraged to take a seat and pick up a sign. Throughout the afternoon, the protesters’ numbers did seem to grow. Booth said that as a takeaway she hoped “people are more attentive to their environments and more aware of their environments and a thing that is going on in their surrounding environments. Kind of taking the time to take a step back from themselves and realize how this affects people who have different types of privileges.”
"At the end of the day this effects everyone so hopefully people walking by will just stop and look at the signs and just understand where we’re coming from. To just take the time to reflect about what this day means for the next four years and the rest of our lives,” said Costley.
Overall, the BSA hopes that the sit in will bring attention to concerns held by fellow students and to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
Thanks to the BSA and the College Democrats, Muhlenberg students were able to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights throughout inauguration day.