Protest is not always what it seems at first, and can have many different purposes and aims. After Trump won the Presidency, wide scale protests rocked the nation. The political right and moderates sometimes saw these as redundant and pointless. Protesters would not change the President, we would not change the facts on the ground, we’re just whiney babies throwing a tantrum. Anyone who thinks that way simply isn’t seeing the whole picture, and has a very limited view about the purpose of protests.
1. Local goals
So what if we're not going to change the president? Local protests often have local focuses and initiatives they are trying to work on. As one example, in Berea, our rally had an initiative to make Berea a Santucary Campus, that is, we want Berea to state that that it will not coorperate with ICE should they seek to threaten our students or try to get information from/about our students. We mobilized on an action that we knew was possible for us to acheive. As of now, Berea’s Sanctuary Campus initiative has over 600 signatures and has been endorsed by notables like bell hooks (who is a part of our community) and other prominent social justice activists.
2. Community information
Another use of protest is a gathering/support point for activists and/or people who need help. For instance, SIC is coordinating a community rally in which we will have present knowledgeable people about issues relating to laws for DACA students and undocumented students, as well as LGBTQ people. This way students and people worried about the legal consequences of a Trump presidency will have a gathering place whereby they will have direct access to legal aid/answering of important questions. Such things include rules for filing for gender chance on passports, filing for medical care if you are in a same sex relationship and work for the federal government and are afraid your benefits will be cut after Trump comes to office. In this way, rally's are a community gathering point for important information.
3. Networking
Larger protests are great for networking between activists. For instance, when some of the members of SIC (Student Intersectional Coalition), and other activists from Berea went to the larger Lexington and Louisville protests, we met and made some connections with activists from these areas with whom we could plan on coordinating with in the future on larger state initiatives.
4. Support
For some people, marginalization is an daily occurrence. Protests and gathering spaces create a space where people can feel empowered to speak about their grievances, where in other places they would be attacked, silenced or otherwise condemned. As much as confrontational protests can be about anger and dissatisfaction, they are a place of radical love for many people. Take the content of many of the popular chants at protests "(Queer/black/Muslim/undocumented/latino/Etc) lives, they matter here" "It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains." The name of Black Lives Matter is predicated on the affirmation of a marginalized identity. At its core, these movements are born out of love and a feeling of helplessness against forces which seek with every breadth to destroy and dismantle groups under threat. Therefore these movements become entirely about reclaiming a sense of power and a sense of love for people between people who otherwise are made powerless.
Therefore, these protests are not always for the powers protesters are fighting against, but rather are for each other. They are a method of empowerment and help which allows communities a forum to gather, to affirm their identities, and to show love for each other.
Change in some policy, political agenda, etc. would be optimal, but I argue that protests and rallies are valuable simply because they are a source of support and/or empowerment between members of a community.
I hope this article has given a few people some different perspectives to consider regarding the recent protests and reasons they are important that you may have not thought about.
