In a rally held today, NYU makes it clear it stands in solidarity with Dreamers
NYU Dream Team held a rally in response to recent graffiti found in Bobst
“The People United will Never be Divided,” chanted the students at the NYU Anti-Hate Rally: DREAMers Are Here to Stay! It may have been a smaller number than past rallies and vigils held on the foot steps of Kimmel, but the chanting remains loud and clear, confidently echoing throughout the atrium.
The rally was prompted by graffiti found on the announcement board in Bobst Library on Sunday that said “Hasta Luego Dreamers.” The NYU DREAM team – a coalition of students, immigrants, and allies working to provide a safe space for undocumented students at NYU – organized the event as a show of solidarity with the undocumented individuals threatened by the graffiti.
“On this campus we are all equals, we are all students, we are all paying tuition, and we should feel safe here, “ Fadumo Osman, President of the NYU College Democrats, said. “We should not wait for major events like to happen for us all to come together., because it will only get worse if we do not come together to stand again, again, and again.”
Fadumo was one of many speakers that came to speak at the event, with speakers including representatives from the DREAM team, the International Socialist Organization, as well as the NYU Immigrant Defense Initiative. Alina Das, Professor of Clinical Law at NYU as well as a star member for the NYU Immigrant Defense Organization, also spoke at the rally.
A promotional poster for the rally today
“Everything that we have accomplished at NYU has been a result of the activism of students,” Das said. “We know there is a lot of hate out there but thanks to the activism of the DREAM team and other such organizations we have here, we are going to fight back so we can protect the threatened members of our community”
All the organizations in attendance also let students know how they can get further involved advertising upcoming events and club meeting dates as well as letting students know where they can find help if they or a loved one feel they are being threatened by deportation.
At the end of the Rally the NYU DREAM team called on members of the audience to voice their own opinions and feelings. One such speaker was senior Nicki Camera, who called for unity in fighting to protect the Dreamers as well as all other threatened groups.
“It is something that we all need to fight together for because also it is not just, it’s a struggle against so many different issues whether its xenophobia, racism, sexism, they all intersect and we need to fight them together,” Camera said.
The NYU Dream team hosts multiple events throughout the semester. Tonight at the NYU Journalism School they will be participating in the recording for the podcast In the Thick during the Undocumented and Unafraid event.