Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Teaching after Trump Victory: Immigrant Students Told, “You Better Run”

A teacher shares her experience in the classroom the day after Trump was elected. All K-12 and university teachers are invited to share their experiences with Left Voice in a paragraph or more. Email [email protected].

Abby Nathanson

November 16, 2016
Facebook Twitter Share

I direct an after-school program for rural Hudson Valley high school students. Almost all of my students are from immigrant families and live in low-income communities. We meet every Friday to learn about social justice, but the Friday after the election was one of the more challenging meetings that I’ve ever had as a facilitator.

Some students got their (mis)information from social media; one person was excited to announce that Obama had issued an executive order to re-do the election in December, and others reported that they learned the results of the election by watching the Snapchat filters update the electoral vote count. Other students don’t have internet at home, so they found out the results when they got to school and were greeted by students in Trump hats and shirts shouting, “you’d better run!”

In the face of all of this, these young people are extremely resilient, and kept trying to understand Trump supporters, especially Latinx and women. I’d encourage any adult who is struggling in the aftermath of the election to find the young people in your community- not to help them or support them, although that may very well come later. Rather, just sit quietly and listen- their clarity and authenticity is an excellent source of inspiration and fortitude.

All K-12 and university teachers are invited to share their experiences with Left Voice in a paragraph or more. Email cont[email protected] or send us a facebook message with your story.

Other teacher responses:
A Class Divided: A 5th Grade Classroom in a Red State

A Teacher’s Tale: The Day After Trump’s Victory

Facebook Twitter Share

United States

A UAW sign is held next to a "Free Palestine" sign

The UAW Has Called for a Ceasefire. It’s Time for All of Labor to Stand Up.

The UAW International union has joined calls for a ceasefire and is exploring how to divest from Israel. This is a step which should inspire union activists to take up the fight to bring their union into the fight against Israel's attack on Gaza and the struggle against imperialism.

Rose Lemlich

December 2, 2023

A Pause in Genocide Is Not Enough: Jewish Voice for Peace Shuts Down the Manhattan Bridge

Amid a pause in Israel’s offensive on Gaza, Jewish Voice for Peace is showing that the movement for Palestine will continue. Civil disobedience must lead to broad protests which bring all sectors of the movement together.

Samuel Karlin

November 26, 2023
Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid, and Tahseen Ahmed wearing Keffiyes. They were shot in Burlington, Vermont, USA.

The Three Palestinians Shot in Burlington Are Victims of Rising Islamophobia

Three Palestinian men were shot in Burlington Vermont while walking down the street. The campaign against Palestine has dehumanized all Palestinians and left them more vulnerable to these types of attacks.

Sybil Davis

November 26, 2023
A rally with people holding signs and a banner reading "Full funding"

Student Workers Stand Up for CUNY and Palestine

Attacks on CUNY and CUNY activists are an attack on all working people and students. Workers and students united can fight back.  

Olivia Wood

November 25, 2023

MOST RECENT

Robert Habeck Wrote a Play Praising a Right-Wing Mass Murderer

Germany's Green vice chancellor strikes many as an idealist who has been struggling with the tough realities of government. Yet before he was a national politician, he wrote a play that opens a window into a dark soul.

Nathaniel Flakin

December 1, 2023

The World Kissinger Built Must Die Too

Henry Kissinger died at 100 years old. But his legacy remains in the brutal world system he built and the future generations of imperialist ghouls he inspired. They all must go.

Samuel Karlin

November 30, 2023

Fact Check: Did German Leftists Try to Bomb West Berlin’s Jewish Community Center in 1969?

Answer: No. The bombing was undertaken by West Germany’s domestic secret service, originally founded by Nazis.

Nathaniel Flakin

November 29, 2023
Protesters in NYC for Palestinian liberation.

Uniting Workers for Palestine Is a Fight for the Future of Labor

The struggle for Palestine shows the potential for the rank and file to push unions to break with imperialism and to build a new, combative, and internationalist unionism.

Tatiana Cozzarelli

November 27, 2023