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