DACA Supporters Raise Their Voices During Campus Rally

By Jack Lakowsky

Live Wire Staff Writer

Photographs by Christopher DiBella

Chanting “People, united, we’ll never be divided!” and holding signs reading phrases like “Siempre Unidos” and “We are the Future,” a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff marched through the halls of Manchester Community College on Oct. 19.

The march occurred out of protest to President Donald Trump’s executive order rescinding the Deferred for Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, an act postponing the deportation of undocumented people brought to the United States as children. After several trips around the campus, the march ended at the Village Courtyard, where several people spoke about the topic.

“I am invigorated by the thought, feeling, and actions of my students, who will carry the United States into an all-inclusive future,” said Lucy Hurston, who teaches sociology and played a major role in organizing the event. “You are responsible for your democracy.”

The organizers of the event included Alena Klee, an MCC student, Student Activities Director T.J. Barber, and Dean of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management G. Duncan Harris. All gave speeches concerning DACA’s repeal and the pride they felt in seeing students engage in the community.

“I am optimistic about the future. That faith is stoked by seeing you here today,” said Harris.

Klee focused on the importance of communicating with state and federal lawmakers.

“The real power lies with legislation,” she said.

Gaby Valdiglesias, an MCC student protected by DACA, also shared her story. She described Trump as an “ignorant fascist.”

Supporters of the president were also present, holding signs reading Trump 2020. But they did not disrupt the event.

For more information on the DACA program and the consequences of its repeal, visit www.justice.gov.