It is now more important than ever for Presidents of Universities and Colleges to stand by their students during these next 4 (maybe shorter) years given the uncertainty of the times we live in; however, this is just not the case. On February 29th, *President Trump invited Presidents of HBCUs to the White House as what was initially presumed as a forum to talk about policies and different initiatives for HBCUs, but ultimately ended as a Photo-op.
This same day, students at Howard University showed their disdain for their President attending the meeting by spray painting slogans on the walls that stated “Wayne Frederick doesn’t care about Black people” and “Make HBCUs Black again”
We interviewed the “HU-Resist” to find out more about why they’re resisting not only their University’s President but also the *President of the United States. It should be noted that the vandalism was not associated with this organization.
What prompted this resist movement on campus?
The HUResist movement was created to remind Howard University of it’s commitment to Truth & Service, especially in the face of the Trump administration which has threatened the most vulnerable groups in the nation. We are also demanding that President Frederick take a stand in the face of hate and oppression.
Is this movement widely supported on campus? What are the demographics of the organization?
We are currently building our base. Right now we are circulating a petition with the demands that has garnered almost 2,000 signatures. In terms of representation, we are comprised of students who are Muslim, LGBTQIA, Christian, Atheist, Communist, Capitalist, and many other identities. We are an intentionally inclusive movement that seeks to uplift the voices of the unheard and underrepresented not just through our demands but also in our leadership.
Howard is currently not a Sanctuary city. How does this affect some of the marginalized people on campus?
Howard not being declared a sanctuary campus communicates to us, and its immigrant students that they will not be protected from Trump’s discriminatory policies towards their communities. It is imperative that the Howard University administration make it clear that its students are supported and will be defended in the face of oppression.
Concerning the Trump Administration, what would be considered “a seat at the table” for you?
For us, a seat at the table looks like President Frederick creating spaces for students to voice their fears and concerns, and assure us that if and when he interacts with the Trump Administration, we are being represented fully and adequately.
Many students have called President Frederick a “coon” and Howard university “Trump’s plantation”. Do you agree or disagree ?
While we do no encourage or condemn personal attacks, we understand the sentiments behind those statements. Many students, including those in HU Resist believe that President Frederick has disregarded his responsibility to Howard students and the Black community as a whole with his recent interactions with the Trump Administration.
Do you think Howard University is putting financial security before the moral values it was founded on? If you don’t want Howard to accept additional funds from the Trump administration, where do you propose they get the funding they potentially missed out on?
This question is addressed in our demands. As it was discovered today, there were no additional funds attached to the Executive Order on HBCU’s which only further proves the fact that Trump is using HBCU’s (and Howard specifically) as tokens to portray a false narrative of support from the Black community. In terms of funding the university, we are willing to work with the administration in identifying additional solutions.
President Obama defunded HBCU’s during his administration, why is the #resist movement so pressing and prominent now than it was before?
This movement reaches beyond the issue of federal funding and seeks to address the systemic problems of this country (such as racism, xenophobia, homophobia, gentrification,ect.) and how Howard is complicit in them. While these issues existed before Trump was put in office, the urgency of fighting against them is apparent now more than ever.
In your letter of demands, you ask that Donald Trump be ban from “all university-affiliated buildings.” Many would say this is an unreasonable request and will not incite changes in policy. What do you say to them?
As stated in our expanded demands, we are not proposing a legal ban but that Donald Trump not be invited to the university. As a blatant racist and corrupt demagogue who has been accused of sexual assault multiple times, Trump’s presence on this campus would pose a direct threat to the various groups he has targeted with his hateful rhetoric and actions.
Outside of what’s outlined in the letter of demands, what are some of the short term and long term goals of this organization?
Short term goals we hope to achieve are building our base within the Howard community, strengthening connections with the greater DC community, and seeing real progress on the implementation of our demands by the university administration. Our long term goals are continuous and ongoing engagement with the DC community through the Kwame Ture Community Center, Having the demands in place and enforced on campus, and continuing the movement to include other HBCUs and communities throughout the country.
Do you condemn the vandalism that was done on your campus today?
We do not condemn the forms in which students choose to express their dissent.
Below is a picture of their list of demands
As a future student at this University, I commend the efforts made by this organization and other demonstrators on campus in their desire to hold officials accountable.
To support this organization further, follow them on twitter @HU_resist and sign their petition to create a student led oversight committee for White House funding by clicking here.
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