Wednesday, November 16, 2016 // The Statement
8B
NICOLE KHAMIS
LSA SENIOR / FOUNDER OF MICHIGAN REFUGEE
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
It’s hard to put into words the disappointment I have
felt over the past couple of days. My disappointment has
nothing to do with partisanship, but everything to do
with the fact that a man, who ran a campaign on white
supremacy, racism, sexism and xenophobia, is now our
president-elect — and more so, that half of our country
supports the sentiments that this individual has propa-
gated throughout his campaign. What this election has
affirmed to many of us — women, individuals of color,
immigrants, refugees, Black individuals, individuals
with disabilities — is that to half of this country, we are
simply disposable. I will not wait until this individual has
done something to oppose him — it is too late for that.
Hate crimes have spiked 78 percent throughout the cam-
paign and are happening on campus. Racism, sexism,
islamophobia, etc. have all become legitimized. I hope
that many of us remember the shock and pain that we
felt to see all of the progress of eight years disappear in
the two minutes that put our current president-elect over
the edge. And I hope we all make a promise to ourselves
to never let something like this happen again. It is time to
organize and mobilize, to build coalitions, to lean on one
another and reject hatred at every turn. I do believe in us
because when I look to the future I see my fellow class-
mates fighting for a better world beside me. We must
remember that out of the darkness comes change; it will
not be easy, and it will not be without struggle. But, I’m
ready. This is the moment where we decide who we are
as a generation; welcome to the fight.
»NOW MORE THAN EVER
EMILY LIU
LSA SENIOR /FORMER SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION AND
AWARENESS CENTER CO-COORDINATOR
Inclusion and safety are at the core of the Univer-
sity of Michigan’s values and mission; our academic
and co-curricular feats would not even be conceivable
without the contributions of people of color, Muslim
folks, LGBTQ-identifying individuals, indigenous
peoples and sexual violence survivors, represented in
students, staff and faculty. Some students feel silenced
by the University’s support for those who are hurt by
the election of Donald Trump and they themselves feel
prejudiced by the University for “taking sides.” I, how-
ever, implore the administration to keep in mind the
structural hierarchies and systems of power, privilege
and oppression in place outside of the bubble of our
University. The administration should consider cen-
tering and prioritizing the voices and perspectives of
those community members who have faced structural
violence, discrimination and exploitation that has his-
torically and continues today to be validated, justified
and perpetuated in our country’s institutions — and
now, in the White House. We’re asking, begging you to
step up and help us make Michigan the kind of Univer-
sity that it prides itself on being.
MS
LSA SENIOR
[Editor’s note: Given the sociopolitical context, safety is
something that our contributors have to take into consider-
ation. This contributor, due to a concern for safety, only felt
comfortable sharing their initials.]
After the election, I realize how much incidents out-
side of campus also affect students on campus and lead to
incidents on campus. It has definitely been very difficult
following the election for me to continue on with daily
life and tasks, but this time I have felt that I have received
more support than usual. I have had professors, GSIs,
students, etc. acknowledge and be cognizant of the fact
that the election results definitely affected me in negative
ways and will continue to do so. The outpour of support
has been very refreshing, and I appreciate all the people
that have reached out to me. Students will continue to be
negatively affected by incidents off campus as well even
if nothing directly happened to them. Everyone needs to
stand up, show support and show up. If there is an event/
protest/vigil related to incidents on campus, show up and
then be willing to learn from the experiences of those that
are marginalized. Listen, learn how to be an ally and to
unlearn the isms and phobias, and be willing to change
your view points. Share what you learn with more people
on campus and even your families. Ask marginalized
folx how they would like to be supported. You can not sit
idly and pretend like nothing is happening or undermine
someone’s experiences. Think and come up with more
preventative measures and learn new ways to support
those on campus, especially those who hold marginalized
identities and have intersectional identities that make
things even more difficult for them. As a PoC and Mus-
lim American, I have always needed everyone’s support
and will continue to, so realize that your allyhood is and
should be the beginning of your activism.
ALL PHOTOS BY DAVID SONG/DAILY