Sarah Blugis is an alumna and The Hatchet’s former opinions editor.
While I was at GW, I didn’t participate in protests. Usually, it was because I had to be at my federal work study job, had an extracurricular activity or didn’t want to miss class. I often felt like my time was too limited to use on anything apart from school and work.
But if I were still a current student, I would have been out there protesting Tuesday. No matter what, I would have joined the walkout and ensuing march to protest everything that President-elect Donald Trump stands for.
As hundreds of students filled the streets a few days ago, I followed along on Twitter and on The Hatchet’s Snapchat story. In that moment, I was truly proud to be a GW alumna, and I was moved by the outpouring of emotion on campus. I was smiling throughout my entire bus ride home from work – a welcome change from the way I’ve felt the last few days.
Since the election, I’ve felt the way I imagine many other Democrats and Hillary Clinton supporters are feeling. I’ve had a tightness in my chest, an anxiety – a strong to pull to do something, anything, to make things right. It feels incredibly debilitating to want so badly to take action, and yet have no concrete action to take.
That’s why I was so happy to see GW students turning that feeling into something tangible. Now, students from my alma mater are on the record as unafraid to stand up to racism, misogyny and bigotry – and that’s important to alumni who feel the same way.
Of course, not everyone on campus agreed with the student protest. Most notably, the Young America’s Foundation put out a statement condemning the walkout. The statement also condemned the list of demands that student protesters had for the University, calling the demand for minority safe spaces “Jim Crow-esque.”
That type of willfully ignorant language is embarrassing and irresponsible, and does not reflect a positive image of the student body. Thankfully, GW students proved this week that groups like YAF are just a vocal minority. Of course, it’s absolutely necessary to listen to and try to understand viewpoints that aren’t your own, and I’m confident that in time, students will do just that. But this protest was a more important first step in showing the world where they stand.
As for me, I’ll be an enthusiastic attendee of the Women’s March the day after Inauguration Day, and I’m sure plenty of current and former GW students will be there, too. I’m looking forward to watching students continue to act as leaders in the world of millennial politics and to make alumni like me proud.
