Around 25 students searched for solidarity Friday afternoon in front of Starbucks in the EMU. The unofficial rally was headed by a few members of the Graduate Teachers Fellowship Federation, but visitors from other groups stood in front of the group to share their own messages.
“The idea for today was to have a period of time where we come together as employees and students and workers on this campus, and find out how we can be in solidarity with one another,” Kadie Manion, the GTFF president said. “We are hoping to use it as a teach-in [or to] share contact information and resources with each other.”
Although the rally was started by GTFF members, the event wasn’t officially endorsed by the federation, according to Manion.
Students participating were seated at tables or on the ground. Some were working on signs that will be carried in the march from the EMU amphitheater to downtown Eugene on Friday evening. One student toted a two-sided sign reading “Don’t mourn, organize,” on one side, with “Organize & Fight Bigotry,” scrawled on the opposite.
“We know there are a lot of people today, on this weird day in American history, who don’t quite know what to do with themselves,” Michael Marchman, staff organizer of the GTFF said. “Some people are feeling upset, some are feeling really angry and ready to fight.”
Tensions among the participants were high. Chants of “No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA,” rang out in the relatively quiet student union.
“How can we work together?” Marchman asked, “what are we going to do to resist the tremendous aggression we are going to see towards workers, women, the LGBTQ community and people of color?”
In addition to the rally in the food court, “Reset the Code” offered students a chance to anonymously say what respect meant to them in the “Reset Room.”
A rally is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. in the amphitheater and will be followed by a march downtown at 6 p.m.