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Hamilton College students show support at Utica rally

By Emily Eisler ’17

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Hamilton students joined members of all ages from Utica and surrounding communities for its Refugee Solidarity Rally on Feb. 10, held to show the city’s support for the its refugee population, as well as for all of those affected by President Donald Trump’s immigration ban, often also referred to as a “Muslim ban.” Hamilton’s Spiritual Inquiry Group and Student Assembly both funded transportation for students to attend. Members of Hamilton’s student group On the Move, which works with refugees in Utica, attended the rally as well at Utica’s Oneida Square. 

Rainbow co-chair Polly Bruce ’17 reacted, “There was a really great turnout! A lot of locals and a fair amount of Hamilton students showed up to chant inclusive messages. Even people driving by in cars honked their horns or shouted in support!” Bruce’s co-chair, Charlie Cross ’19 added, “It was really heartening to see a good number of people there in protest. And when cars honked in support as they drove by there was a sense of community and hope as we all cheered in response. The best thing was hearing residents of Utica who are refugees talking about their experiences and what it meant to them to take part in this show of solidarity."

The rally featured speakers from the refugee community talking about their experiences while passing a microphone around the crowd. Many of the stories focused on families waiting to be reunited and on discrimination people had suffered for their race, ethnicity, or religion. Jamil Alhilali, Yemen-native and long-time American citizen who has lived in Utica for years, spoke about the years he had spent trying to get his family approved to join him in the United States. The business owner told stories of his children asking every day when they would finally get to see him after six years of waiting. The event lasted for three hours and was also dedicated to everyone in the world suffering from President Trump’s policies discriminating against immigrants and nationals from Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Marchers led chants of “No ban! No wall!” and “This is what Utica looks like!” as well as patriotic songs to show support for unity instead of divisive fighting. 

This is one of several anti-Trump rallies and civil action projects happening in the local area in the past few weeks. On Tuesday of last week, activists who had gone to the Women’s March event in D.C. the day after Trump’s inauguration held a community meeting to brainstorm ideas for more community action to fight the administration’s policies, especially those affecting women. Hamilton students were eager to be in attendance in order to plan how they can bring change to the campus as well as the community as a whole.

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