On Tuesday, June 12, several groups at Mt. SAC collaborated to host a march against the current policies of the Trump administration. They began their march at the Humanities and Social Sciences building quad to Founder’s Hall.
The march was organized by English professor Gary Enke. The purpose of the march is to bring faculty and students together against the current practices and political climate around immigrants and those with immigrant background.
Groups involved in the grass roots march included IDEAS, ARISE, REACH, ASPIRE, among others.
Improving Dream Equality Access & Success IDEAS is a support group for undocumented students. ARISE is a support for Asian American and Pacific Islander students. REACH assists current and former foster youth. ASPIRE provides support and services to African-American and other students.
Their shared cause was in reaction to the detainment of children, violations of due process in court and the placement of immigrants in federal prisons, often separating families.
One group wearing T-shirts with “Support the dream” written on the front and “#unity” on the reverse, handed out pins to the gathering crowd.
When the event was planned, the organizers did not know that there would be another event outside the Pride Center.
In a collaborative gesture, the crowd rushed to the Pride presentation to hear the two speakers there. The effort meshed the two group’s goals well.
Each name of those who died at the June 12, 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting was read after a brief explanation of the club’s goal to raise awareness.
Following this, the group marched to Founder’s Hall. They stopped at the steps where the speakers took the stage.
Two students who spoke at the rally were very excited about the turnout and the event in general.
Jose Rodriguez, 19, biology major, attended the event because he wants to help out the DREAM community. He, as an ally and participant, has been in the program since the winter of 2017.
Rodriguez said that joining is easy with applications for the DREAM program. He advocated for donations to get a T-shirt, as there is a $500 cost for renewal.
Luis Mendoza, 19, animation major, joined the event to support friends. He was a featured speaker, and despite his first time attending an event like this, he was not nervous. He said that he feels confident in his public speaking abilities.
Following the speeches, the rally concluded on the note of the importance of sharing the stories these people have and to get the administration to see them as people.
Enke encouraged everyone to meet someone new in the closing address to spread awareness and open communication.
