RVA #27: Students, residents march on Carytown for Richmond Grabs Back

by | Jan 9, 2017 | VIRGINIA POLITICS

Saturday, November 12th, four days after Donald J. Trump was elected, hundreds of people gathered in downtown Richmond for an event called “Richmond Grabs Back.” The event was part of a vaguely coordinated call to action alongside cities across the country. Unlike many initial protest events held around the country after election night, this event and others like it aimed to peacefully express their concerns as opposed to some of the destruction of property left in the wake of events held days earlier.

This article was featured in RVAMag #27: Winter 2016. You can read all of issue #27 here or pick it up at local shops around RVA right now.

VCU student Julian McBain said those incidents were “a cathartic release of anger,” a reaction to Trump’s history of objectification of women and minorities. McBain, who helped organize the protest alongside a number of fellow activists, hadn’t been involved in this large-scale action before.

The crowd gathered outside the James Branch Cabell Library. VCU, William & Mary, and UVA students as well as city and county residents came out. The protest began with speeches, including statements from Figueroa and McBain advising protesters on the chants and their rights. The Virginia ACLU had representatives in blue vests to offer support and observe police interactions. Several people stood to make their views on Donald Trump heard, including River Holland, a senior in high school in the Richmond area, VCU freshman Aaron Shah, and VCU junior Jafar Cooper.

Cooper, a student in the Theatre Arts program, spoke directly to first-time protesters. “People have been facing this fear for their entire lives,” Cooper announced into a megaphone. “I am so happy to see all these people out here today.” He continued his speech by offering moral support to those who hadn’t participated in activism before that fateful week. “People have been doing this forever… This is the reality that people have had to deal with for their entire lives.” Cooper continued by reciting “I Want A President,” a radically queer and race-based poem by Zoe Leonard which offers underrepresented, real-life alternatives to the rich, White-male “president” image Trump represents to many.

“My fist goes up ‘til Trump steps down!” shouted the crowd behind a “RVA GRABS BACK” banner as the crowd headed east up West Main Street towards Carytown. “I have friends who were scared to come out today,” said a VCU senior and professional Spanish Interpreter who only gave her first name, Lisa, for fear of repercussions of speaking out against the new establishment. A first generation El Salvadorian-native here on a student visa, she was unsure what would come of her and the kids she mentors at the Boys and Girls Club.

“It affects me, it affects my family,” she said of Trump’s campaign promise to deport millions of immigrants, undocumented and documented alike. The uncertain fear of countless Americans was evident on her face and body, with her “Not My President” sign shifting erratically in her hands. “A first grader in my class said, ‘If Trump wins, we’d go back to slavery,’” she said. “A first grader.”

Other protesters like Leah Gosnell, a homemaker from Midlothian, voiced similar outrage. “I never thought he’d win,” she sighed. It was Gosnell’s first protest. Friends and family in her community refused to join her — so she came alone. She laughed how Trump’s surprise win “made me get off my butt.”

Reasons for joining the march crossed a broad spectrum, as heard by the smattering of chants that ranged from “No Trump, No KKK,” No Fascist USA,” to even “Black Lives Matter!” Among those chanting were county residents like Gosnell as well as college students like VCU sophomores Logan Carmone and Aria Sharif.

The two stretched between them a blue, pink and white flag that symbolizes Transgender Pride. “I’m Kurdish,” said Sharif, who also identifies as Brown, trans, and gay. “My family lived through one genocide, and I don’t [want] them to live through another.” Carmone somberly agreed.

“We’re out here for trans rights, queer rights, Muslim rights… The majority vote is not represented by the electoral college,” he said. Talk of political corruption seemed to permeate throughout each discussion, as well as a need to create a community movement beyond national politics.

The march snaked through the all of Carytown along West Main Street and back down West Cary, before ending back at the VCU library. As protesters passed, patrons of Carytown and Fan restaurants came out to watch, cheering on the protest or, in some cases, gazing on in plain shock at the flooded streets.

Of the future, many in the protest hoped for greater unity against Trump and his politics. Several hoped that the protests could remain unified and peaceful, a sentiment shared by Figueroa, Lisa, and VCU senior Toni Sheffield. “It needs to be a community movement,” Sheffield said firmly.

As the sky went dark and the procession slowed to a halt on campus once more, Cooper spoke again to those who had protested for the first time. “I want you to ask yourself — ’what is freedom?’ And what does freedom and liberation look like? What does that look {like} for the Black, queer, trans, woman body,” they asked. A deafening cheer went up through the crowd.

“We are not free, until we are all free!”

Words by Sarah Schuster, Photos by Craig Zirpolo

Sarah Schuster

Sarah Schuster




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