Bloomington residents rally for unity after inauguration
“No Work. No School. No Shopping.” This is the slogan that grabbed the attention of more than 500 people on Facebook.
About 400 people gathered for the Inaugurate the Revolution march and rally Friday in response to the inauguration of President Trump. More than 500 people were signed up for the event on Facebook, and several hundred attended the workshops dedicated to injustice and resistance throughout the day.
“The election really separated people,” IU freshman Eries Smith said. “The rallies just show that there’s still hope for unity, and togetherness and understanding one another and working together to achieve a common goal for the good of all.”
The event was initiated by IU graduate and staff member Alice Corey, grad student Alexandria Hollet, faculty member Joe Varga and sophomore Stanley Njuguna.
“People are waking up,” Njuguna said. “It’s up to us. Popular movement is the only thing that can overcome Trump’s agenda.”
The march began at 5:15 p.m., when marchers gathered with friends and signs in the lawn of the Monroe County courthouse.
Njuguna started chants with a megaphone, and the rest of the marchers followed his lead.
“They told us that this was gonna be a bad day, that it was gonna be a sad day.” said Joe Varga, faculty member in the IU Division of Labor Studies and one of the event organizers. “It’s not. It’s our day.”
The marchers made their way around downtown before settling at Buskirk Chumley Theater for the rally, an event full of speeches and performances.
There were 13 people on the list of speakers and performers for the rally that began at 6 p.m. in the theater. Participants of all ages filled every seat and lined the walls.
“The most important thing is that there is power in collective action,” Rebecca Waldrop, a graduate student, said. “When people get together like this and they make noise like this, and they make noise in a way that is a unified voice, we have so much more power than we think we have.”
The only way things ever change is when people stand together, Varga said, and the crowd was standing together during the rally. Members of the audience were told to clap, snap and stomp their feet or yell out when speakers said anything they agreed with. Several times during speeches, the audience was told to stand up and yell along.
“Rise up!” “Life, freedom, equality!” and “No justice, no peace!” were among the few sayings that were shouted throughout Buskirk Chumley Theater.
“Fighting isn’t just about fists or guns or bombs,” Corey, who also spoke at the event, told the audience. “Those things are weapons, and we have so many more weapons than just those. We must arm ourselves with all manner of weapons.”
Corey talked about both tangible and intangible resources. She spoke about access to food, water and shelter and went on to discuss our access to education, experiences, skills and ideas.
Njuguna was the last to give a speech to the crowd. Introduced by Hollett, Njuguna went onstage ready to help create some change.
We will not pack up and go quietly, he told the crowd.
“The revolution starts now,” Njuguna said.
He ended his speech as balloons fell and the Jefferson Street Parade Band walked through the audience and onto the stage to end the rally.
