Social Justice: Post-Election Protests

​#notmyamerica, #notmypresident, and #notmyprotest

By Mari Asai
QuailBellMagazine.com

In the wake of the surprise election of outsider candidate Donald Trump to the office of the presidency, activists and allies have taken to the streets in a series of campus-led protests under the umbrella names of #notmyamerica and #notmypresident involving rallies and walkouts in cities and at many schools, including my own.
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​Many have questioned the protests from across the political spectrum.

From the left: black people were killed by police under Obama. More black people would be killed under Hillary Clinton just as they will be under Donald Trump. Why do protesters only care now? How do they only see the racism now?

From the right: the electorate has spoken. Now is a time to push for real change and reform and progress, not a time to attack the person who won.
 
A lack of information on the message and intent of the protests has exacerbated these frustrations. The events that led to these protests are largely self-evident: the tacit approval of American voters of language and policies proposed by Donald Trump that were racist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, ableist, islamophobic, and transphobic. However, what protesters seek to do or accomplish is varied. Here at the University of Rochester, prior to, during, and since our rally, I’ve heard participants give a few reasons for participating, including:
 
1.Express that they feel unsafe
2.Stand in solidarity with those who feel unsafe
3.Demonstrate support and inclusion in academic spaces
4.Force Donald Trump to eschew the language he used in campaigning
5.Request that Trump govern for all Americans, not just those that voted for him
6.Demonstrate interest in future political activism (for midterm elections, etc)
 
The proud tradition of political dissent in the United States has rarely been in response to a coming election but rather a challenge to those in power, and so long as there are those without power, the fight will doubtless continue. Yet this fight need not be against everyone. Protesters should reach out to allies who voted against Trump and yet feel frustrated with a needless and undemocratic push to oust him. They must reach out to the Native Americans and leftists and people of color who see these protests as too little and too late.

For their message to be heard, for it must be heard, protesters can’t just protest against Donald Trump and the support or acceptance of hate he was elected with. They need also speak to those around them. To those who don’t understand what they hope to achieve. To those who don’t see an aim or goal to the protests. If this movement succeeds in any of the many aims we have for it, it will be because we spoke to those around us, and because we listened to those who already felt unsafe, and now feel unheard.