Show me what democracy looks like

On the night of November 8, I found myself  repeating the word “Determination.” Gathered by the steps of Hendricks chapel were angry, sad, and young individuals who were scared. We felt lost. What do you do when you lose? You sulk, you get angry, but then you fight. You get together with the people you never thought you would stand besides and you fight hard. Syracuse University students are doing just that. We are fighting.

Today, multiple organizations including Oxfam, Muslim Student Association, Amnesty International,and Democracy Matters lead the Rally For Refugees which was a way for students to protest against Donald Trump’s ban on allowing Syrian refugees and people from multiple predominantly Muslim countries from entering the country. The march started in Crouse Hinds and ended right inside the Life Sciences Building, where I, along with countless students, sat and listened to various speakers.

Students walking up to the Life Sciences Building

I have never protested or been to a rally before. When I noticed that I was three minutes late to the march, I realized that I would have to catch up. The lazy me would have said “Forget it,” but within seconds I was sprinting and slipping on the icy ground trying to get towards the front.

This protest was important because it captured exactly how people feel. It is easy to read the headlines, the articles, the Twitter posts and feel bad. However, empathy is different from sympathy and after today, I am a more empathetic person and I want to do something to protect our refugees. I am confident that there is a way to take action.

We grow up believing that we can make a difference, that our voice matters, but the lingering question is how? How does yelling “Show me what democracy looks like” or “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” make a difference? Marching, yelling, taking up the whole Life Science Building floor; protests show people that if we all put our voices together, our voices WILL matter. I don’t know how or when this ban will end, but with the love, unity, determination,and optimism that I saw today, things will change for the better one day.

“No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here”

The protest wasn’t about just about ending the ban, it was about working with what we have and doing what we can. As important as our voices are, our actions are, too. It’s going to take time to see our protests and our voices translate into positive change, so it’s about what we can do now. What can we do to help? There are refugees in this country who need and long for our assistance.

Just around the Syracuse area, are many organizations that are looking for volunteers to simply help the refugees who did make it to this country, but feel alone, isolated, and scared. As important as calling representatives and politely asking them to let refugees in,  it is a process that would take longer than taking the bus down to a refugee organization and asking them what they need now. Change starts with one simple question: “What can I do to help?”

Professor Manar Shabouk talks to students about ways to help

So call your representatives. Visit a refugee organization. Talk to a friend who may be affected by this. Gather a group of people and start a rally. Write about it. Whatever it is, do something.

One of the many posters made by students

If you are new to protests like I am, there are a few things you should know. Know that your presence matters. When you gather around a group of people who want to share their stories, share the pain ,the anger, and the fear, you feel comfort. That to me ,is unity. Know that you are going to hear stories from your friends, your teachers, and the students who you never suspected to speak up. Know that when you enter a protest or a rally, you enter a safe space.  Know that when you walk out of whatever rally it may be, you will be ready to take action.

A democracy can not work without our voices. Our voices are our given rights.