Immigration ban calls students to action
President Trump’s many executive orders, including his recent banning of entry from seven Muslim-dominated countries, has stirred up emotions across campus, inspiring in just the past week both a protest march and a heavily attended teach-in.
Students gathered in Parents Plaza on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. to show solidarity for the immigration ban by marching around campus. The group marched past Seegers, through the Freshman Quad, in front of Walz then around and in front of Brown, back through Seegers, down Academic Row, around the East Quad carrying signs and chanting “No hate, no fear, Muslims are welcome here.” The protest ended in the chapel, where multiple students delivered speeches. Jouman Barakat ‘20, the main organizer of the march, spoke first.
“It truly makes me happy to see so many people gathered together to fight for what’s right,” Barakat began. “As someone who is Arab, someone who’s from a Muslim country, and as someone who’s a human being, I think the fact that the world’s leading country’s president thinks that these Muslims are a threat to humanity is utterly disgusting and disturbing.”
After speeches by Mahsheed Mayor ‘17, and Religion Studies professor Sharon Albert, both of which called for unity and support in the face of current events, Callista Isabelle joined the speakers in leading a candle-lighting ceremony. Afterwards, attendees stopped to mingle over light refreshments and discuss ways to further get involved.
Overall, Barakat considers the march a success.
“One of the reasons as to why I organized this was because of the lack of attention to this matter on the administration’s part,” said Barakat, “so I wanted as many people on this campus as possible to realize that the ban really does affect people who are living with them and who surround them daily—like myself, for example. I personally felt like not a lot of people cared about what was happening, and my goal was to get people to talk about it and discuss it, and I think that worked.”
Indeed, two days later on Friday, Feb. 3, faculty, staff and students came together once again to hold a teach-in in the Event Space, with the hopes of better educating students on current issues. Sharon Albert was one of the organizers.
“While the teach-in itself came together in fairly short order, momentum for the teach-in has been building among many in the Muhlenberg community since late last Fall, when it became clear that the Trump administration intended to move ahead with some of the deeply problematic policies that had been voiced leading up to the election,” said Albert. “The final straw was Trump’s Executive Order banning travel from seven Muslim majority countries. This ban directly affects many in our community including students, staff, and faculty. Voices from all corners of campus immediately spoke out about the need to take action.”
Along with calling representatives, Albert cited education as another form of activism.
“As members of the Muhlenberg community,” said Albert, “we knew that we need to keep doing what we do best, what fulfills the College’s mission; that is, teaching, learning, keeping ourselves informed about the issues at hand, thinking critically about these issues from multiple well-informed perspectives.”
In the first few minutes of the event students swarmed the sign-in table, where Nicole Baltzer ’17, and Sarah Roussel ‘18 worked.
“It’s been so overwhelming but so rewarding,” said Baltzer of the event.
Roussel agreed.
“We see that there is so much interest in learning about these topics and having these conversations,” said Roussel, “It gives you some sense of hope that there are lots of people interested in learning and working and finding out what they can do to help.”
There were over 20 groups led by both faculty and students covering a wide range of topics, the most popular being fake news, art as a means of protest, the travel ban’s impact on the Middle East, Germany in 1933, executive orders, a psychological perspective, Islamophobia, student activism, grassroots organizing, and the Rise of the Right in Europe. Each group, after congregating in the Event Space, was then assigned a different room in the Seegers building and sent off for the first of two sessions of discussion.
While assigning room numbers, Albert encouraged students to wander through the rooms and listen to the various conversations of different groups.
There was also a table set up in the Light Lounge where community members could make posters.
Nicole Cury ’19, who drifted between a few groups, admitted that although her teachers offered her extra credit for attending, that wasn’t the only reason why she came.
“Although [getting extra credit] was a nice incentive, I really wanted to hear my peers’ thoughts about everything going on,” said Cury. “I was amazed by the turnout, but it just goes to show how many students care about what is happening in our country and community.”
Barakat also attended the teach-in, and specifically Dr. Brian Mello and Dr. Mark Stein’s group, The Middle East: How the Executive order effects the region.
“I think that one of the many things that I got out of the teach-in was to see how the ‘west’ viewed this issue,” said Barakat, “I attended the session about how the ban affects the Middle East, and it was interesting for me (and the other Jordanians/Arabs in the room) to see how the world viewed the matter” said Barakat, “and compare it to how we, those who are affected, viewed and experienced it. I was rest assured that there was care and solidarity with those who are affected by the ban, especially when the countries and the people that are targeted can’t speak up for themselves. In my speech at the march, I mentioned that I had felt alone upon hearing the news, but at the teach-in my feelings were far from being that.”
Emma Louis ‘19, attended Dr. Mathews-Schultz’s presentation on Executive orders, and came away with a message that echoed through many of the other sessions.
“The largest check on the executive branch that this government system has is the American people,” said Louis, “and as long as we get a movement going that would resist Trump’s travel bans that would be the most influence that we could have in overturning it.”
Looking forward, Albert hopes to continue the discussion.
“It gave me great hope to see circles of people all over Seegers deeply engaged in conversation... It was not simply faculty teaching students; faculty, students, and staff all facilitated sessions, and faculty, students, and staff all joined sessions as participants,” said Albert. “I very much hope that we will continue to see more community-wide efforts to keep our- selves informed and in conversation with each other about the important issues that are facing us.”