Hopkins students have staged multiple protests following the election of Donald Trump. They have questioned the University’s investments in fossil fuels, the mistreatment of Palestinians and the president-elect himself.
The Editorial Board commends students for vocalizing their concerns and taking action. We hope that students will continue to fight for what they believe in after this burst of protest energy subsides.
Since last Tuesday’s election, there have been several protests, beginning with last Thursday’s “Hopkins Against Hate,” a march held by students protesting the hateful rhetoric and bigotry of Trump’s campaign.
This Monday, J Street U hosted Solidarity for Susya, a small demonstration intended to show their support for a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On Wednesday, Korean students protested the corruption and scandals associated with South Korea’s current president and students and professors walked out of class to express solidarity with undocumented immigrants.
Today and last Thursday, graduate students hosted in support of the Humanities Center, including a protest and a walk out. Refuel Our Future called on the University to divest its endowment from fossil fuels.
The Editorial Board will not endorse any of the protests because we cannot come to a unanimous agreement, but we without a doubt endorse the resurgence of the protest spirit at Hopkins. This week we have proven that Hopkins students are not apathetic and apolitical.
But we suggest student leaders better coordinate with other activist groups on campus. This past week, there were so many demonstrations that it forced students to choose between causes to physically support.
With better coordination, student groups will be able to support each other and bolster attendance at their rallies. Nevertheless, we are glad students are coming together so that their voices will be heard.
It’s more than a little ironic that a figure as polarizing as Donald Trump could bring the campus together. Students have been checking in on one another and offering peers their support.
We encourage Hopkins students to sustain this compassionate atmosphere by taking each other’s concerns seriously and doing their part to ensure the wellbeing of all members of the Hopkins community, including faculty and staff.
Hopkins students came together in a more literal sense for the Hopkins Against Hate protest on Thursday, during which leaders of activist groups got together to detail their plans and call their peers to action. This event proved that Hopkins students are capable of organizing substantial, intersectional activist events.
With over 6,000 undergraduates alone, this sort of mobilization could easily occur more frequently. The multitude of urgent causes that afflict Hopkins students and the wider Baltimore community need to be brought to the student body’s attention.
We need students like those who organized Hopkins Against Hate to continue to organize and collaborate with other groups, sharing mobilization strategies.
But this protest wasn’t just about Hopkins affiliates. It addressed the difficulties of people across the nation, and, importantly, Baltimore residents.
As the hundreds of students who marched through the streets of the city saw for themselves, Baltimore is a city with character, beauty and welcoming, deserving residents.
There is much work to be done, both in supporting local causes and proving that Hopkins students care enough to take action, but this protest was an impressive, telling start.
It is important for Hopkins students to participate in protests to show solidarity with less privileged groups, and it is important that students continue to show each other and the people of Baltimore that we care, that we will speak out against injustice, and that we will stand up for our fellow citizens.
The Editorial Board hopes Hopkins students will continue to fight apathy and inaction. This newfound enthusiasm for action is an incredible opportunity for students to get out of the Hopkins bubble. It’s been a great week of protests, but we hope the activist spirit does not waver after this week comes to a close.
