On Nov. 16, students of various classes, racial backgrounds and genders gathered in front of Kent Library at Southeast Missouri State University to protest Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election.

Junior HollyAnne Hoernig and sophomore Cassandra Morris planned and organized the event. Morris was responsible for creating a Facebook page entitled ‘SEMO Against Trump’ to find students who disagreed with Trump’s policies. Hoernig made the phone calls necessary to secure a spot in front of Kent Library and enable the protest to run as smoothly as possible.

According to Hoernig, it is important for minorities at Southeast to know that their apprehension regarding Trump’s win in the election is valid. Hoernig said she felt a responsibility to show support for Southeast minority groups on campus despite not having to face the same struggles.

“We wanted to involve more people of privilege, because unfortunately their voices are louder in the media,” Hoernig said. “White males and females sadly are heard more, so I feel like we need to use that as a way to help other people as much as possible.”

Many of the students present at the protest said Donald Trump’s ideals about immigration, women and minorities were the reason taking a stand against him was imperative and non-optional.

Junior Jose Alpizar, who was born in Costa Rica, said Trump has created too negative of a connotation toward immigration. Alpizar said he takes this personally because he has seen his family from Costa Rica work hard to contribute in America.

“My parents are both immigrants; we all moved here when I was little,” Alpizar said. “I have seen firsthand the struggles they had to overcome to get to the point we are at now — living happy, safe lives. Immigrants are the ones who built this country. If people realized the intense struggles that come with being an immigrant, they would be more accepting of them. I am not OK with families potentially being ripped apart because of Trump.”

Trump’s victory in the election has ignited anxiety for a variety of Americans because of promises he has made to his voters, such as building a wall on the southern border and profiling Muslim people as a measure to prevent terrorism. Junior Ellen Carr said she is opposed to Trump because of her belief that no American should have to live in fear.

“If I choose to have kids one day, I want to be able to tell them I lived with love and not hate,” Carr said. “I do not support anyone having to live in fear, because that is what America is about.”

In response to the protest, freshman Corey Townsend stood directly across from Kent Library in front of Academic Hall with a sign that read “The Silent Majority Stands With Trump.” Townsend said Trump is misrepresented in the media as being racist and sexist.

“Trump was the only one in this election proposing logical solutions to our problems, regardless of how offensive he might have came off,” Townsend said. “I think one of the reasons people have an adverse feeling toward Donald Trump is because of inaccurate portrayal of his beliefs by the media, especially of Hispanics. His statements toward illegal immigration and building a wall were not targeted toward any racial group.”

Townsend said he also wanted to show that Trump supporters are often improperly categorized as being violent. In rebuttal to this reputation, Townsend shook one of the Trump protester’s hand and stated he had no issues with minority groups or the LGBTQ community. The protest brought about honks of agreement alongside some negative feedback, but remained peaceful for the duration of the assembly.