Their Purpose Is Not to Miss School, Their Message Is Not F Trump

Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election impacted families in the Oakland community as they felt threatened by his oppressive comments against immigrants, women and Muslims. On Monday Nov. 14, 2016 students all over the Bay Area went out into the streets united together protesting for respect and demonstrating pride for their culture.
At Fremont High School, a group of student leaders ages 15 to 17 realized that the protest had a large amount of supporters, but people didn’t know what the real motive for this movement was. They decided to create an organization called “The Power Dream in the Rising Youth” to go deeper into what the true purpose of that protest was.
“About half of the students attended to the protest that happened on Nov. 14 just to miss school without knowing what the true message was,” said Bianca Ramirez, a junior student in the Mandela Academy and organizer in the group.
They gather every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch or after school to discuss the problems that are happening in the community and how they can minimize them.

“We want our people to feel safe,” Reyna Jauregui, one of the leaders of the club, said. “We don’t want for people to feel like this is not their home. We want to help them.”
One of the group’s main objectives is to inform undocumented immigrants and families about their rights. They plan to create workshops to help the community become a better and safer place. They will also answer questions that people might have.
“The Power Dream in the Rising Youth” club is organizing another protest on Jan. 20, 2017 which will take place at Fruitvale Village by the Bart Station in East Oakland. They want more upstanders and more representation from immigrants, Muslims, women and LGBTQ communities. They want all people’s voices to be heard in order to make the United States a better country.
“Basically, the United States was made out of movements that people created. It was the people who united together to make power,” Jauregui said with an inspirational voice.

At this protest, student leaders will speak and share their feelings through poetry and songs. There will also be traditional dances called “La Danza Azteca,” which means the Aztec dance. The Aztec dance is a visual representation of the culture and art of the native people of Mexico. It does not allude merely to the Aztec people, but is also part of the various tribes and cultures that Mexico entails.