Over 100 students and residents attended a march and rally held by Boone Rising to protest the newest Executive Order banning Muslims from US entry. Students and community members gathered on Sanford at 4:30 p.m. to hear Latinx students speak about how this ban affects them personally, and what they envision for the future of Boone as a sanctuary.
After listening to heartfelt remarks from students, the protesters marched from Sanford Mall to the intersection of King Street and Hardin Street to rally, holding signs and chanting, demonstrating to those passing by that the Muslim ban and any attacks on members of the High Country community will not be tolerated.
Student Diana Feria addressed the crowd before the march began, calling for resistance to bigotry and discrimination, asking “Do you guys understand the American Dream anymore? This isn’t it.”
“Being open to other people…is common sense,” said another student speaker, sharing her own experiences with discrimination, “however, it’s not common sense anymore.”
“Trump claims this is for national security…but nationals of the six countries highlighted in this ban have been responsible for ZERO deaths on American soil,” said student Keven White before the march began. “It’s racism, it’s Islamophobia, it’s clear that this stuff is not meant for national security, it’s meant to oppress brown and black individuals.”
The march was a reaction to Trump’s new executive order, released Monday, March 6th, which blocked arrivals from six majority-Muslim countries: Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. This order goes into effect on March 16th in an attempt to avoid the eruptive protests caused by the first executive order.
Photos of Thursday’s march are below.
For more information, click to https://www.facebook.com/events/708479549334813/
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