A CALL TO ACTION
We, the Spartan Daily, call San José State University, Associated Students of San José State, city government officials and the broader community to recognize and resist President Donald J. Trump’s erasure of human rights and blatant attack on freedom in the United States of America.
As lawsuits continue to pile up, President Trump has abused his power to try to revoke federal funding at universities across the U.S. that do not follow his agenda, and to deport international students for participating in activities that “run counter” to national interests.
He has made it abundantly clear that his administration’s goal is to become a fascist regime.
Education is among the first of fascism’s victims, disarming its citizens with the realities faced by our most vulnerable communities.
In Mussolini’s fascist Italy, state control over public and private life greatly expanded
He appointed nine people to the Ministry of Education – only five had teaching experience and nearly all were loyalists, according to an April 7, 2023, Scientific American article.
After Mussolini solidified his power, he placed extreme restrictions on curriculum and public discourse, which had to conform to his fascist ideology and pseudoscience.
Not to mention his ideas of racial superiority and national pressure on women to be mothers, according to the same source.
Trump’s America is looking increasingly similar.
Meanwhile, institutions such as SJSU have already made moves in restricting our freedoms in the form of punishing protesters.
Nearly a year ago, students and faculty formed an encampment on Smith and Carlos lawn where students called for a ceasefire and divestment from corporations that support Israel, according to a May 15, 2024, article from The Mercury News.
These protests were in response to Israel’s genocidal actions against Palestine, described by U.N. experts and its special committee.
The university made it clear that free speech protections had a limit by disciplining students, citing that protesting students were violating the university’s revised “Time, Place and Manner” policy.
These institutions – including SJSU – and individuals with privilege and power must protect these basic freedoms that every person in the U.S. deserves.
the Trump administration alongside the San José and Bay Area community at the April 19, 50501 protest at St. James Park, according to an April 20 post on Supervisor Duong’s Instagram.
These movements of solidarity should not be taboo.
Merely because an individual has risen to political or corporate power does not mean they aren’t a part of our community.
While student government leaders have advocated for the rights of our student community successfully, there have been recent examples of A.S. leaders not fulfilling their organization’s “legacy of student advocacy.”
On Feb. 26, Associated Students of SJSU crafted a resolution in support of transgender rights, which was met with pushback from members of the organization, according to a Feb. 27 Spartan Daily article.
In response to this resolution, two executive board members opposed this attempt at recognizing and protecting the trans and LGBTQ+ community at San José State, while three abstained from the vote.
A.S. eventually passed a letter of support to the trans community after the failed resolution and has still not passed a resolution, as reported in a March 19 Spartan Daily article.
It should not be up to members of vulnerable communities to advocate for themselves alone.
Laying differences aside and uniting as one to combat the government’s unconstitutional attacks on human rights is the only way we can create tangible change.
We must all take a stance against this abuse of power and rising fascism before it is too late.
The Spartan Daily
Kaya Henkes-Power | Executive Editor
Charity Spicer | Production & News Editor
Saturn Williams | Managing, A&E & Opinion Editor
Hunter Yates | Sports Editor
Rather than putting restrictions on when students can speak up, universities need to stand with them, not bend to this administration’s assault on the First Amendment.
Now is not the time for leaders in our community, locally and nationally, to remain silent and complacent about this attack.
We have seen examples of solidarity in action with Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong proudly protesting
Anfisa Pitchkhadze | Assistant Sports Editor t u p Assist
PHOTOS FROM SJSU SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES, CIVIL RIGHTS AND CAMPUS PROTEST COLLECTION, SPARTAN DAILY ARCHIVES
Athlete activism leaves legacy
By Anfisa Pitchkhadze ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
On Oct. 16, 1968, the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City saw two Black athletes and San José State alumni, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, take a stand in activism, leaving a historical impact.
In the midst of political movements and racial discrimination, Smith and Carlos shocked the world when each raised one of their fists wearing a black glove while having their heads down on the podium with the United States national anthem playing.
Smith had won gold in the 200-meter dash with 19.83 seconds, setting a world record at the time, while Carlos earned bronze, according to Smith’s Hall of Fame webpage.
Both of their actions later became known as the Black Power salute, an iconic statement made to go against the systematic oppression and racial discrimination of Black people in the United States, according to an Oct. 15, 2023, BBC article.
Carlos reflected on the importance of making their statement.
“We were concerned about humanity and that encompassed the world,” Carlos said. “We had to make a statement to reach the far ends of the earth that might have gone through some tragedy relative to racism or prejudice.”
He also said that prejudice was not only a problem in the United States, but a universal
problem as well. He thought the Olympics were the place to make a statement to represent those that had no representation and to also set the visual for it.
Besides having their fists in the air to represent solidarity, both went shoeless on the podium to protest poverty, while Smith wore beads and a scarf that represented lynchings, according to an Oct. 16, 2018, ACLU article.
“This was a very positive sense, and we felt that every Black person or person of color should be very proud at this moment,” Carlos said.
However, their actions came with serious personal and career consequences, such as being suspended from the U.S. Olympic team and receiving death threats, according to a May 25, 2021, History.com article.
“They tried to discredit us as athletes and tried to discredit us as human beings,” Carlos said.
Carlos recalled being called all sorts of names, including him and Smith being referred to as communists and remembered the sudden quietness of the crowd once the two held up their fists.
However, he also received praise from others.
“People were applauding us and people had tears in their eyes for what we did,” Carlos said. “They had been feeling this strain of society on them for a long time in terms of how society might have a blind
eye to this sacrifice of suffering people of
rights advocate for Black athletes internationally, according to a Centre for Sport & Human Rights
A year prior i n 196 7, A m er ic an a sociologist and ci vi v l ri gh ts activist , Harr y E dward s, created t he Olympic Pro j ect for Human Rig hts (O PH R) to ad v ocate f o r Bl ac k at hl et es i nternationall y webpage. During years that I was at San State i nte rv ie we d a j ob, even as an assistant over that period of t ime,” Edwards said. 2024
“During the four years that I was at San José State as an athlete for three and a half years, there was never even an African American interviewed for a coaching job, not
As of 2024, there are 3.3% of Black students at San José State, according to an SJSU webpage.
In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed, which led to rioting in Los Angeles after a Black motorist was arrested, according to an NAACP web page.
according to an April 10 AP News article.
“This was an opportunity for Black power, literally to become manifest and to use it in sport to leverage the change that was long overdue at San José State,” Edwards said.
garnering support from Smith and Carlos as they eventually wore OPHR badges on the podium, according to a UCSD webpage.
During the year of the Olympic protest, notable figures such as civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated,
In 1968, Edwards’s human rights project was originally going to boycott the Olympics if their demands were not met,
However, Carlos changed his mind and decided to compete in the Olympics.
“I promised my kids I was going to win a medal,” Carlos said. “ … I want to win a medal for America.”
Edwards and Ken Noel also established the United Black Students for Action and set demands for Black students, including ending unfair treatment and segregation, which caused the USBA co-founders to organize a boycott of an SJSU football game in 1967, according to a Washington Square article.
| Page 4 y f of f color.”
SJ women advocate through the years
By Nicole DeVries STAFF WRITER
Over the years, San José State has seen powerful student protests, from efforts to hold faculty accountable to strong opposition against the rollback of Roe v. Wade, marking key moments in the fight for reproductive rights on campus.
SJSU has a deep-rooted history of activism, particularly surrounding issues like women’s rights, which exploded in the 1960s, according to the SJSU Washington Square webpage.
Surleen Randhawa, former president of SJSU Planned Parenthood Generation Action at SJSU and current student, has used her platform to support student activism with education and help students understand the full scope of sexuality education.
“I have been trying to foster a safe space for students where they feel seen, heard (and) validated,” Randhawa said. “This has been possible through a lot of things that we do in our events, like group discussions, wellness circles, fundraisers and community care events.”
SJSU has been an important site of protest and social change, including key moments in the Olympic Project for Human Rights.
The Olympic Project for Human Rights was a
movement in the 1960s led by athletes and activists, including multiple integral Black women at SJSU such as Sandra Boze Edwards and Gayle Boze Knowles, who advocated for racial equality and social justice, according to the Washington Square webpage.
women, LGBTQIA(+) students, women of color, or any kind of minority, feels empowered to prioritize their health and speak for their needs,” Randhawa said.
Individuals like Aimee Deveraux “Wiggsy”
We envision a campus culture where every student, especially women, LGBTQIA(+) students, women of color, or any kind of minority, feels empowered to prioritize their health and speak for their needs.
Surleen Randhawa Second-year public health student
“Take Back the Night” was a key march organised as part of Womyn’s Week 1981, according to a March 16, 1981, Spartan Daily article.
Around 150 participants gathered at the Student Union Ballroom to chant slogans before marching around campus.
Protesters carried signs with messages, including some men participating holding a banner that read, “Men support Womyn - Take Back the Night,” highlighting the involvement of both genders in advocating for safety and gender equality on campus.
“We envision a campus culture where every student, especially
Sivertsen have advocated for the LGBTQIA+ community and women’s rights in the Silicon Valley since the 1960s, according to a June 28 , 2023, San José Spotlight article. She has been part of numerous efforts in San José, such as pushing the city’s early initiatives to establish gender-neutral bathrooms and fighting for more programs for domestic violence victims.
Campus groups such as the Society of Women Engineers, Women in Business, and Planned Parenthood Generation Action have also worked to create spaces for women to speak out, share their experiences, and provide support and advocacy,
according to a Gender Equity Center webpage.
“Our main focus is education, dialogue and providing resources and tools for students who do want to make informed decisions about their bodies and their rights,” Randhawa said.
Following a leaked Supreme Court opinion challenging the historical Roe v. Wade decision, students on campus protested to protect reproductive rights, calling to ensure that everyone can access safe and legal abortion services, according to a May 10, 2022, article on SJSU News.
Scott Myers-Lipton, sociology professor at SJSU and director of the Teaching Social Action program, has witnessed students develop a series of campaigns that challenged institutional power structures harming women.
An investigation from the Spartan Daily revealed that SJSU administrators failed to properly follow up on sexual harassment allegations made against then-professor Lewis Aptekar in 2014, according to a Sept. 12, 2017, Spartan Daily article.
“They (SJSU, administrators) didn’t remove that professor; that person resigned under pressure from the students,” Myers-Lipton said.
OLYMPIC
An Olympic Project For Human Rights badge sits on John Carlos’s immortalized chest.
SATURN WILLIAMS | SPARTAN DAILY
Campus reflects on civil rights history
Protests have played a significant role in shaping what San José State is today; many of which included activism from one of the smallest communities on campus.
Despite being only 3.3% of the population at San José State, according to the university’s webpage, the Black community has had multiple demonstrations of activism on campus that made a lasting impact on the university.
Regarding the Civil Rights Movement, William McCraw, a professor emeritus of political science, recalls that SJSU recruited students to help voters in the South register after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed.
The act, signed by former President Lyndon B. Johnson, allowed Black people to vote freely, eliminating the states’ will to practice voter disenfranchisement, according to a NAACP webpage.
“I remember seeing the posters and the people coming back and talking about their experience in the South,” McCraw said.
“It certainly didn’t involve that many students because you’d have to leave campus and get yourself down to Mississippi, but it was done and showed a level of commitment.”
David Williams, SJSU judo coach and alumnus, actively participated in on-campus protests against former California Governor Pete Wilson later in the ’90s.
“I was involved in the protest against Pete Wilson, who was trying to get rid of people of color and trying to pass
OLYMPIC
Continued from page 3
The USBA co-founders then organized a boycott of an SJSU football game in 1967, according to a Washington Square article.
“We had an obligation to use that, not just for the not just in the interest of Black people, but in the interest of American society and the American people,” Edwards said.
Bob Gliner, a former sociology professor at SJSU and documentary film director, recalled protests occurring on campus during the times of the Civil Rights Movement.
He started teaching at San José State in the fall of 1968, shortly after the Olympics.
laws that were English only and all that stuff,” Williams said.
In 1994, Wilson, who is a Republican, supported Proposition 187, which aimed to exclude undocumented immigrants from access to public services, including education, according to a research guide from the Library of Congress.
The initiative was passed in November of 1994, according to the same guide.
SJSU’s campus was also stirred into protest in 2013, when a Black student at SJSU had reportedly been verbally and physically harassed in the dorms, according to a Nov. 22, 2013, article from the New York Times.
“It was a terrible thing that was caught very late,” McCraw said. “I remember questioning, ‘How did something like this occur in a community
where there’s a lot of people?’ ”
Following the incident, the university authorized a racial discrimination task force, which would include meetings to come up with ways to alleviate racial discrimination on campus, according to an SJSU webpage.
Another incident that sparked controversy on campus occurred in November 2008, when Gregory Johnson Jr., an African-American Sigma Chi fraternity member, was found dead in a basement hanging from a water pipe, according to a Feb. 19, 2009, article from the Spartan Daily.
Although Johnson’s death was reported as a suicide, his family suspected foul play, according to the same source.
Williams personally knew Johnson and didn’t believe that he would kill
People were applauding us and people had tears in their eyes for what we did. They had been feeling this strain of society on them for a long time in terms of how society might have a blind eye to this sacrifice of suffering people of
color.
John Carlos Olympic bronze medalist and activist
“The civil rights issue has aligned with other campuses around the country, so San José State played a significant role during that time period,” Gliner said.
The Olympians’ actions not only made an impact on current Black activism and sports activism, but their actions were also commemorated by San José State.
In 2005, SJSU honored its alumni by commissioning a mosaic and fiberglass monument of Smith and Carlos known as the Victory Salute, located in front of Robert D. Clark Hall and centrally placed on the Tommie Smith and John Carlos Lawn, according to an SJSU webpage.
20 years later, Carlos called the statue special to him because of his mom seeing it and believes that the statue resonates with young student athletes and students.
“So that’s tremendous in terms of the fact that they put it in the institution and education, because all this whole scenario is about educating individuals, about finding out who you are and why you are,” Carlos said.
himself.
“It didn’t make sense to me,” Williams said. “I had just seen the kid (and) there were no signs. I mean, I guess you could be depressed, but I didn’t see it coming.”
However, during the time immediately after Johnson’s death, Williams didn’t remember there being many protests advocating for justice for Johnson and his family.
“I don’t believe there was ever a protest to find out what happened with him,” Williams said. “I think it was because of the way it was presented. You didn’t find out a lot of the stuff that came out until later. If it had come out right away, then there probably would have been more actions taken by people.”
Concerning recent protests around Johnson’s death, protestors gathered near Santana
WOMEN
Row petitioning for a reinvestigation of the situation, according to an Oct. 4, 2020, Spartan Daily article.
“I definitely think it (Black activism) is shaping the culture, especially with our current federal administration and just everything happening around the world,” Brown said. “I feel like it’s really impacting now and our voices are going to be louder than ever.”
The main objective of the Black Honor Society is to develop a unified and community-focused Black student body at SJSU, according to an SJSU webpage.
of President Donald J. Trump’s administration, Brown predicts another shift in Black activism on campus.
efforts to eliminate government Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which could undermine the employment of minority workers, including the African-American community, according to a March 4 article from USA Today.
“There has to be constant pressure to make sure that people in power understand that we will not be taken eight steps back,” Williams said. “All the stuff that you see happening right now is going to be insane. I cannot wait to see what you young people do with it.”
Follow
Continued from page 3 ccording 2022, rticle he Sp artan
The lack of proper follow-up on the 2014 became a significant point of concern, as it revealed that SJSU administrators had failed to investigate the complaints against Professor Aptekar before the 2015 investigation, according to the same article.
nationwide Women’s Wave Rally, according to an Oct. 11, 2022, article by the Spartan Daily.
Women’s
Wave was a nationwide day of action on Oct. 8, 2022, organized to mobilize voters in support of reproductive rights and elect prochoice candidates ahead
The w as a n at ionw id e ay , organized o mobiliz e voters upport i ghts and elect prohoice
I have been trying to foster a safe space for students where they feel seen, heard (and) validated. This has been possible through a lot of things that we do in our events, like group discussions, wellness circles, fundraisers and community care events.
SJSU students and faculty have also responded to national women’s rights movements with local activism events, including when San José joined the
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muscle, so w hy would w engage don opportunit
muscle, so why would we expect them to be engaged citizens, when they don’t have an opportunity to really exercise it?” MyersLipton
John Halushka, an associate justice studies professor at SJSU, said abortion rights are vital, but reproductive justice also encompasses the social and economic factors affecting people’s ability
have a j ob – a well-
of have the
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“By that I mean like economic issues, right…,” Halushka said. “Do you have a job – a well-paying job? Do you live in a safe community? Do you sort of have the community resources that are required to educate? It's
s
Surleen Randhawa Second-year public health student
of the midterm elections, as described on the Women’s March website.
“We don’t give our young people the opportunity to kind of exercise their democratic
educate? It' incredibly
In a study from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation, 60% of adults without a degree say abortion laws influence their college enrollment decisions, according to an article from The Story Exchange on Oct. 2, 2023.
“I think it's important to sort of have an expansive view about movement that goes beyond, –obviously – access to reproductive healthcare,” Halushka said.
ROLAND MORGER | SPARTAN DAILY ARCHIVES
Tommie Smith and John Carlos speak to the press on their return to San José after their Olympic protest in 1968.
Follow
By Israel Archie SENIOR STAFF WRITER
INFOGRAPHIC BY KAYA HENKES-POWER AND SATURN WILLIAMS, PHOTOS FROM SPARTAN DAILY ARCHIVES
The Trump administration, then and
By Bryan Reos STAFF WRITER
It has been nearly a decade since President Donald J. Trump won the 2016 United States presidential election and his current term looks more focused and aggressive, shaking up the country.
During Trump’s first 100 days in office, he signed 104 executive orders, according to a March 26 CBS News article.
This is more than his first term and the most of any president in their first 100 days in office, according to the same source.
Many of these executive orders and policies target the immigrant population in the U.S., affecting undocumented and international students across the country, including at San José State. Executive orders that affect immigrant and international students include “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” which tightens and increases the difficulty of the visa application process.
“Protecting the American People Against Invasion” also affects institutions’ funding that help undocumented students, such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
program, according to an American Council of Education article.
More than 408,000 undocumented students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities as of 2022, according to a 2024 American Immigration Council report.
Last Saturday, thousands across the country protested against Trump’s policies, in the 50501 demonstrations – 50 states, 50 protests and one movement purposefully aligning with the Revolutionary War’s 250th anniversary, according to an April 19 BBC article.
Tomara Hall, a special education teacher in San José, participated in the 50501 demonstration on April 19 at St. James Park, and is heartbroken over students losing their visas and wanted to protest because she believes everyone should have access to education.
“I’m devastated for the families, none of that should be happening,” Hall said. “We are telling people to come here and live your dream life and then we tell them you can’t stay here and you get kicked out of the country, that is totally unfair and that’s not right.”
The Trump
administration has taken advantage having immigration authorities arrest and detain university-affiliated students, resulting in the American Association of University Professors to file a lawsuit against the administration, according to a March 26, NBC News article.
Trump has targeted key universities like Harvard by freezing $2.2 billion in funding for grants because the university won’t accept the administration’s demands and filed a lawsuit to fight back, according to an April 21, NBC News article.
Stricter policies
regarding immigration and international students have already been felt on campus, as on April 9, Michelle Smith McDonald, SJSU senior director of media relations, confirmed 13 student F-1 visa revocations.
In an April 25 email sent to the Spartan Daily, Smith McDonald said that six students had their visas reinstated.
Megan Sweet, SJSU alumna and activist, also participated in the 50501 protest to fight against the SJSU students whose visas got revoked.
“Education is extremely important for anyone in order to have a career, in
order to make a living,” Sweet said. “College education transforms your life. It’s essential to move up, so when you take international students from all around the world and take away their visas for things as small as traffic infractions, you strip them of their future.”
On April 10, SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson released a statement stating the administration is actively monitoring the situation to ensure that students are receiving support and guidance and are contacting students impacted by the revocations.
Sweet said the school could be doing more to help.
“How San José State responded was a little bit lackluster, I think they’re really trying to obfuscate how much power they actually have, how big the CSU is and the CSU system,” Sweet said.
On April 22, over 500 college and university presidents, including SJSU President Cynthia, issued a statement over the Trump administration’s overreach and interference endangering higher education, according to a public statement from the American Association of Colleges and Universities.
A protest sign against the Trump administration sits on the the lawn of St. James Park in San José on April 19.
BRYAN REOS | SPARTAN DAILY
San José protesters take a stand with Gaza
By Fayoo Ahmed STAFF WRITER
In May 2024, San José State became a focal point for student activism as pro-Palestinian protesters established an encampment near the Olympic Black Power Statue.
Students set up tents on Tommie Smith and John Carlos Lawn in front of Robert D. Clark Hall, calling on SJSU to finally acknowledge the death toll in Gaza, according to a May 15, 2024, San José Spotlight article.
An alumnus student protester, who requested anonymity because of fear of retaliation, was deeply involved in the SJSU encampments and shared that the space wasn’t just political, but an emotional and necessary space for students.
“The encampment became a symbol of SJSU’s strong activist culture and its connection to broader justice-oriented movements,” he said. “It brought together a diverse group of students and studentled organizations, fostering unity and collaboration.”
The wave of pro-Palestinian student encampments on U.S. college campuses began on April 17, 2024, at Columbia University in New York City, according to a May 2, 2024, article from the Columbia Spectator.
Students at Columbia University in New York City established the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” pitching tents on the university’s East Butler Lawn to protest Israel's actions in Gaza and to demand that Columbia divest from
TRUMP
Continued from page 5
Trump’s administration is no stranger to protest, as during one of his first campaign rallies before he got elected in 2016, Downtown San José residents famously hosted a protest that involved viral moments of Trump supporters getting egged and attacked at the convention center, according to a June 3, 2016, San José Inside
as one of his first before got San José residents and center, to a article.
SJSU students reacted to the election results in 2016 with a peaceful protest and open mics where the crowd would march to City Hall and discuss how Trump would affect their personal lives, according to a Nov. 10, 2016, NBC Bay Area
companies with ties to Israel, according to a May 2, 2024, article from the Columbia Spectator.
A national wave of student activism quickly reached SJSU’s campus, where demonstrators demanded that the university divest from Israeli companies, according to a May 15, 2024, San José Spotlight article.
The alumnus said that he was one of the students who actively participated in planning the encampment on SJSU’s campus, organizing rallies and marches, coordinating logistics and helping with negotiations between student organizers and the university administration.
“A major challenge was protecting students from intimidation and potential disciplinary actions by the university,” he said. “We frequently encountered
term, as he has imposed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada that aren’t compliant with free-trade agreements, a 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, a 25% tariff on cars on top of a 10% tariffs on all U.S. imports, according to a April
imports, to a 18 CNN article.
Robert Wood, a professor of strategic management at SJSU, believes engaging in a tariff war can be dangerous to our economy, but he can see why Trump is doing it.
“Tariffs are very dangerous; the U.S. economy and other economies are very tightly interconnected,” Wood said.
faculty and administrators attempting to discourage participation through verbal warnings and threats, which created a climate of fear.”
The SJSU university administration responded by stating that the encampment violated the university’s revised Time, Place, and Manner Policy and sought disciplinary action against participating students and faculty, according to a May 16, 2024, article from the Spartan Daily.
Amnesty International reported on Dec. 5, 2024, that there is sufficient basis to state that Israel has committed, and continues to commit, acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
As the reports of the genocide continued to circulate globally, students at SJSU felt compelled to act.
A first-year student at SJSU, who also asked to
stay anonymous and wasn’t actively involved in the encampments, said she is still heavily involved in protest and organizing efforts for the cause of Palestinian liberation.
“Engaging in civil disobedience and disrupting the status quo unsettles those in power, often prompting them to reinforce their control through force or intimidation,” she said.
“Conforming is easier. It creates the illusion of safety. But when able to distinguish between right and wrong, choosing inaction transforms into a burden.”
Hafsa Sheikh, a requested pseudonym for a first-year political science student, wasn’t present for the encampments, but engaging in protests elsewhere has been an emotional and grounding experience for her.
“It can be easy to look at the continued genocide of the Palestinian people and lose hope in our actions having any impact on their livelihoods,” she said. It’s been almost a year and a half since Oct. 7, and the situation in Gaza seems to only be getting worse.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza has resulted in catastrophic destruction and the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to an April 16 BBC article with data from the Gaza Health Ministry.
“Sometimes I’ll scroll on Instagram and see posts about a new massacre or a more horrific way Palestinians are being victimized,” Sheikh said. “It's easy to feel like any attention you try to call to the issue is pointless ... it’s a feeling that overwhelms me from time to time.”
The Spartan Daily also made requests for comment from the Jewish Student Union at SJSU on the organization’s perspective of the pro-Palestinian encampments but received no response by the time of the publication.
The first-year anonymous student described how witnessing the aftermath of the encampment and engaging in activism as a new student shaped her college experience.
“The encampment represented the crumbling of the American facade,” she said. “Young people, those likely to inherit the reins of the government, stood in open defiance of the current administration.
“We don’t, in the U.S., have the capacity for making many kinds of auto parts, many kinds of clothing.”
In 2024, San José community organizations and protesters reacted to the second Trump win by gathering near the corner of Story and King road, demanding no attacks on undocumented immigrants, according to a Nov. 18 Fight Back!
Hall and discuss how lives, to a Nov. 10, 2016, NBC Bay Area article. community near the corner of and road, no attacks to a Nov. 18 Back! News article. Since then, many of Trump’s plans for
Below: A protester sits in the shade w
tariffs are very dangerous but some of the reasons why he’s pushing for it are not unjustifiable,” Wood said
a Nov. 16, 2024, NPR article.
the economy have started to take effect, including his wide-reaching tariffs.
Tariffs have been a major talking point when it comes to President Trump’s second
Trump said that these rises in tariffs will correct long-standing imbalances in international trade, ensure fairness, improve competitiveness in every industry, reduce the U.S. trade deficit and bolster economic and national securit y , accordin g to a Feb 13 fact sheet from the White House. “One of the
things I noticed in Tokyo reporting was that the U.S. government was not as aggressive in standing up for its businesses, as say the British government, so
government spending,
New Trump appointee Elon Musk has been the subject of criticism based on his role in the newly created Department of Government Efficienc y, slashin g spending resulting in protests against him and his company Tesla, according to a March 31 Associated Press article.
Trump’s overall support has also grown in his second term as he was the first Republican candidate to win the popular vote in over five election cycles in 2024, according to a Jan. 6, 2025, Fox 9 article.
Trump has also term as Republic win the five elec accordin art Curre 36% of support Great and 71 supporte
men aged 18-29, which is a 15-point increase compared to his last race, according to a Nov. 8, 2024, NPR article.
Derrick Diaz, a Vietnam veteran, said that he feels those who support Trump are only removing his rights as a veteran.
Court and the Constitution, making many question his power, according to an April 21 NPR article.
Current polls found 36% of registered voters support the “Make America Great Again” movement and 71% of Republicans identify as “MAGA” supporters, according to an April 14 NBC News article.
traditional Republicans who didn’t agree with him, but now his cabinet is filled with many loyalists to his vision, who don’t necessarily have the traditional qualifications, like Elon Musk, according to
In Trump’s first term, he was inexperienced and hired traditional who a Nov. 16
“As h bigger th
“As his opposition gets bigger, there are also people trying to fit into the boxes he put until it's only wanting white Americans in America,” Sweet said.
Trump was able to get the vote of 56% of young
“They want to take the VA (Department of Veteran Affairs) away, that is one of my rights as a veteran, they want to stop medicare as I’m a retired person, he wants to stop social security, as a retiree I’m on social security, so we have a lot to lose,” Diaz said.
Compared to the start of Trump’s first term, Trump’s second term is looking to be more aggressive with its executive orders and policy, challenging the Supreme
“I’m trying to get connected with more people in the community to make sure that we have a solidified effort, but also talking to the people we know, our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues, and making sure that one person at a time that we’re making change,” Hall said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HIBAH SALEEM
Protesters gather outside the entrance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library on the corner of S. 4th and E San Fernando streets on March 21.
PHOTOS BY BRYAN REOS | SPARTAN DAILY
Above: Protesters gather at St. James Park on April 19 with signs against the current presidential administration.
Below: A protester sits in the shade with their dog holding up a sign that reads “No More Trumpery” in San José.
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Trump’s agenda continues to affect SJ
Advocates rally amid legal uncertainty for immigrants and DACA recipients
By Elizabeth Bravo Rebolloso STAFF WRITER
New immigration policies continue to threaten the future of millions of immigrants in the United States, as well as programs such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status and support systems for those studying from abroad.
The Trump administration has escalated its immigration agenda, stripping immigrant communities of due process rights and accelerating deportations, with individuals being deported without the chance to challenge removal orders, according to a Feb. 20 article from the Human Rights Watch.
Despite President Donald J. Trump’s implemented aggressive Executive Order 14159 on immigration, advocacy groups and immigrant communities continue to push back against unlawful deportations with protests and political organizing.
Vianey Aguirre, an organizer for Jóvenes Por La Justicia and a third-year political science student at SJSU, elaborated on the effects of the visa revocations targeting students of various programs and the community.
Jóvenes Por La Justicia is a student-led initiative at SJSU that aims to fight for the rights of undocumented students, according to the group’s Instagram page.
“Recently, we’ve seen on the news and even on campus, how we have a lot of our students who are here legally on visas get their visas revoked,” Aguirre said.
“A lot of it is coming from the presidency that we have right now.
Last I checked, it was about 32 to 42 students across UC and CSU campuses
who were getting their visas revoked.”
At SJSU, 13 students have been affected by having their visas revoked, according to an April 9 Spartan Daily article.
In an April 25 email sent to the Spartan Daily, Michelle Smith McDonald, SJSU senior director of media relations, said that six of those students had their visas reinstated.
that the university is dedicated to creating a supportive and respectful environment for all members of the campus community, regardless of immigration or visa status.
The email also said the administration is working closely with the CSU system, legal experts,
media relations, confirmed the reinstatement of some SJSU student visas.
“The university is aware of six students who have had their SEVIS accounts reactivated,”
Smith McDonald wrote.
“We are supporting all students with any issues of enrollment, employment, and university payments as a result of the changes.”
Jessenia GarciaMorales, interim legal program manager at Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), said that it is important for
here for most of their lives, according to the National Immigration Forum.
DACA was established in 2012 under President Barack Obama’s administration and provides temporary, renewable twoyear protection from deportation and work authorization to eligible individuals brought to the U.S. as children, according to a Jan. 21 Akerman lawfirm webpage.
Courts continue to restrict new applications, while others are
We wanted the (SJSU) president to kind of hear our voices and put out a statement. We saw that the statement she put out really didn’t say much, except, ‘this is what’s happening.’ There wasn’t a, ‘this is what we’re trying to do for our students here. We’re still trying to protect the students,’ and that’s what we want from her.
Vianey Aguirre Jóvenes Por La Justicia organizer
and campus partners to respond responsibly as the situation develops.
people to know that they have rights.
On April 10, Jóvenes Por La Justicia held a rally to advocate for SJSU’s undocumented students, according to an April 4 Instagram post.
“We wanted the (SJSU) president to kind of hear our voices and put out a statement,” Aguirre said.
“We saw that the statement she put out really didn’t say much, except, ‘this is what’s happening.’ There wasn’t a, ‘this is what we’re trying to do for our students here. We’re still trying to protect the students, ’ and that’s what we want from her.”
In a campus-wide email sent on April 10, SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson said
After facing lawsuits and court rulings, the Trump administration agreed to reinstate SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) records for affected students, according to an April 25 article from CBS News.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System is a government database used to track international students and exchange visitors in the United States, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In an email sent to the Spartan Daily on April 25, Michelle Smith McDonald, SJSU’s senior director of
“I think people definitely have to do what’s best for them in their specific place of privilege,"
Garcia-Morales said.
SIREN is a non-profit, multilingual organization based in San José that focuses on immigration policy analysis and advocacy, community education, legal services, civic engagement and more, according to the organization’s website.
Garcia-Morales said it’s important for people to weigh the risks that come with speaking out.
Dreamers are undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States without a legal status and were raised
considering the program’s constitutionality altogether, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
Ana Navarrete, program director of the UndocuSpartan Student Resource Center at San José State, said there are constant changes to the rulings that could happen anywhere.
The UndocuSpartan Student Resource Center offers various forms of support and resources to undocumented students, according to its website.
“Know your rights, just because things are changing so rapidly and depending on what your situation is, maybe the country that you’re coming from and the immigration issues that
impact nationals of those countries, those cases look very different,” Navarrete said.
On Jan. 17, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that DACA was improperly implemented and conflicted with federal immigration laws. However, the court allowed existing DACA recipients to maintain and renew their status, including work authorization, while the case proceeds through the legal system, according to a March 21 National Immigration Law Center article.
Navarrete said students should make informed choices when participating in public demonstrations and that there are many forms of protesting.
“I think that’s a very important thing to highlight the role that students and allies have played in shaping immigration policy and also state policy,” Navarrete said. “We have to remind ourselves that even though these things are happening at the national level, in California, we have a set of policies that have given us that additional protection from whatever is happening at the federal level.”
On Feb. 3, residents of San José took part in the “Day Without an Immigrant” demonstration to highlight the importance and contributions of the immigrant community to the country, according to a Feb. 3 article from NBC Bay Area.
As of March 31, 2023, there were 579,000 active DACA recipients. Since court rulings have blocked new applicants from joining, the number of participants is expected to decline, according to the Migration Policy Institute webpage.
“Focus on your studies,” Navarrete said. “If there’s something this government cannot take away from you, it’s your education.”
In 2017, activists wave signs in San José to support those affected by the first Trump administration’s decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
WILLIAM YAP | SPARTAN DAILY ARCHIVES
San José youth cultivate activism
Local children and teens are innovating the future of protesting through continuing school walkouts, community dance and art
By Alina Ta SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Generation Z and Generation Alpha are learning to be advocates in a tense political climate where human rights issues for marginalized communities continue to be challenged.
In San José, they are learning from older generations about how protest can not only be a way to take a stand, but also how it can be a form of education, self-care and a way to bring them closer to their community.
Vito Chiala, principal of William C. Overfelt High School, didn’t stop his students when he found out that they wanted to protest. Instead, he joined them.
“(Protest) builds more school spirit for them, more of a connection to the school in the community than a rally or an assembly does,” Chiala said. “In a different way, it becomes a school activity that’s student-driven … and empowers them in a way that doesn’t get in the way of their education, but actually encourages their education.”
In January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was seen multiple times in San José from Jan. 26 to 27, according to a Jan. 28 article from the Spartan Daily.
They were first seen behind a Target on South King Road, 1.4 miles north of the school.
Within the same month, around 600 students at William C. Overfelt High School held a walkout to protest against ICE, according to a March 25
another,” Chiala said. “For some of them, it’s themselves. For others, it’s their parents. And for others, it’s aunts, uncles and at the very least, almost everybody who has a friend (knows someone) who’s undocumented.”
In January, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a directive rescinding old guidelines from former President Joe Biden’s administration titled, “Enforcement Actions in or Near Protected Areas.”
These guidelines originally prevented ICE and Customs and Border Protection law enforcement from making arrests in protected areas, including schools, medical facilities and places of worship, according to a
encourage protests because they are afraid students may be at high risk of being in danger, but he also encourages students to pay attention to what is happening around them.
“We also really do want our students to be actively involved in supporting their community and the things that are important to their community,” Chiala said. “That’s what we teach.”
On April 5 at around 2 p.m., across from the 50501 “Hands Off!” protest at St. James Park, folklórico dance teacher Elena Robles led 12 of her students through a dance on the steps of the Old Courthouse.
I want to expose them as much as I can to anything that’s just and right and worth doing. So that they feel strength and they become leaders and they aren’t shy to make a difference.
Robles Folklórico dance teacher at El Grito de la Cultura
who were not a part of the protest.
“I want to expose them as much as I can to anything that’s just and right and worth doing,” Robles said.
Robles’s students, has been a dancer for 11 years and also danced at the protest.
“I kind of want to bring people together,” Hopkins said. “That’s what I want to
one of the gallery walls at the Teen Tech Center on April 4.
Three of the images are of animals. One photo is of a black cat she photographed
(Protest) builds more school spirit for them, more of a connection to the school in the community than a rally or an assembly does.
“So that they feel strength and they become leaders and they aren’t shy to make a difference.”
As a nationwide grassroots movement, 50501 aims to perform 50 protests in 50 states simultaneously for people to show their disapproval of President Donald J. Trump’s administration, according to its website.
Robles, who teaches at El Grito de la Cultura, said she asked her students to come out and dance at the protest because she wanted her students to learn more about what is happening in their community and around the U.S.
do in life. So I feel like being an activist is the first step to (do) that (in) being able to help the community in my own way.”
a couple of blocks from the center and the last photo is of a capybara she photographed at the Happy Hollow Park & Zoo.
Ruben Escalante, a director at Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana’s Teen Tech Center, not only teaches students at the center how to create digital media art, but he also teaches them how to take care of themselves and one another.
“It’s basically to say how animals are important too, and that they matter as well, because humans, technically, are animals too,” Patron said. “Hence why it’s called ‘We the Animals,’ because we are animals, so we should treat other animals with the same respect that we treat other humans.”
Mosaic article published in The Mercury News.
“We have 1,400 students and I would be surprised if any of them were not impacted in one way or
2021 memorandum from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Chiala said he understands that many schools typically don’t
As her students danced in front of the steps, a crowd started to slowly form on the sidewalk, drawing in protesters and other community members
Nathalie Hernandez, who is 10 years old and one of Robles’s folklórico dance students, wore a large purple skirt as she danced for the small crowd that slowly formed on the sidewalk.
Hernandez said dancing folklórico helps her show people her culture and who the people are in her community.
“Some of their families have been deported, which I’m confused (about) because it’s not right,” Hernandez said. “They also need a family.”
Data from ICE reports that 26,606 people have been arrested and 66,886 people have been detained by federal agents in 2025.
In 2024, ICE arrested a total of 113,431 people and detained a total of 277,913 people during Biden’s administration, according to the same data.
Addie Hopkins, who is 17 years old and another one of
“I think one of the probably softest forms (of activism) is listening,” Escalante said. “I think so many people want to speak and get their point across, which is important, but so much of what’s wrong with the world is just miscommunications and other people with a lot of power feeling like they’re not being validated in some way.”
The Teen Tech Center is a free arts education program that mentors youth between the ages of 11-19 and teaches students how to produce multimedia content, according to its webpage.
During SoFa District’s South First Friday event on April 4, a group of high school students from the center showcased their artwork during their last exhibition, “We the Animals.”
Cammie Patron, a 17-year-old junior who goes to an online high school, had four images hung on
The concept of the series stemmed from conversations the students had around animals, the environment and how humans have been harming both, according to the artist’s statement hung on one of the walls in the gallery.
Patron said she chose these photos because these images remind viewers that these animals are part of the community.
The staff at the Teen Tech Center encourages students to develop their artistic voices while also encouraging them to engage with the community to learn how art can be used to create social change, according to its webpage.
“Art is a matter of coming to terms with something and being able to kind of put things to rest. Things that you might not have control over,” Escalante said. “You work it all out through the artwork.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF VITO CHIALA
Students from William C. Overfelt High School march on King Road along with other protesters from the community to protest against ICE.
Elena
Vito Chiala
William C. Overfelt High School principal
Nathalie Hernandez, a 10-year-old folklórico dancer from El Grito de la Cultura, dances in front of the steps of the Old Courthouse across from St. James Park.
Build community now or bend a knee later
When I moved from the desolate reaches of a Southern California desert to San José to pursue my university education, nearly half a decade ago. I came with bright-eyed visions of the like-minded community I would find, liberated from the grasp of my conservative hometown.
While looking ahead to an encroaching tide of authoritarianism in the U.S., I am near the end of this chapter of my life feeling disconcertingly detached from the communities I identify with and purportedly advocate for.
hooks wrote extensively about the intersections of sexism, racism and what could be done to fight against white supremacy, patriarchy and socioeconomic disenfranchisement.
In “Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope,” hooks says that university systems are structured in ways that dehumanize students, leading many students who come looking for community to despair and lose that spirit.
I fear this has negatively affected not only my interactions with communities I’m already a part of, but also hampered my practice of other values I hold, such as anti-racism and anticolonialism.
it feels like despair and helplessness fester.
Doomscrolling is an infamous pastime for the majority of Generation Z on the internet, according to a 2024 Morning Consult study.
The practice contributes to existential anxiety, cynicism and distrust in others, fostering isolation among internet users,
and Nick Montgomery write about the urgency of forging close relationships with one’s community in the face of oppressive forces, in other words, “become dangerous together.”
While the internet can be used as a tool to spread effective activism campaigns, as we look to the future
American nationalism was high and communities of color were increasingly policed and attacked.
In a climate of fear, where many were compelled to flee, hooks says she found the most resilience in the community that surrounded her.
Reading that, I’m reminded how, in a way, I
In an era where due process is being challenged and the democratic act of protest is being punished ... strengthening and leaning on our community is paramount for a future of transformative activism.
community participant and advocate against injustice in any way I can, both as a journalist and citizen.
In an era where due process is being challenged and the democratic act of protest is being punished, as seen with the detention of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, strengthening and leaning on our community is paramount for a future of transformative activism.
If you have related to the despair I’ve described, hooks reminds the jaded student that there are always havens of subculture and organizations that resist oppressive powers that instill those feelings.
but hard work and continuous
I realized embarrassingly late that community and progressive change don’t simply fall into your lap, but require hard work and continuous energy.
according to a July 18, 2024, article from The Guardian.
It is only natural when algorithms feed you a constant stream of shocking news and galvanizing content meant
where communication technology will undoubtedly progress, we must keep in mind that it shouldn’t replace the community that surrounds us when we put the screen away.
fled my community when I left for university.
Although my hometown was undoubtedly a toxic environment that put a halt to my growth and selfexpression, I often think about my disabled mother
“Most of them have had no guides to teach them how to find their way in educational systems that, though structured to maintain domination, are not closed systems and therefore have within them subcultures of resistance where education as the practice of freedom still happens,” she says.
civil rights movements are based on grassroots, local organizing sustained with long-term participation and specific goals, according to The Commons Social Change Library.
In chapter five of hooks’s book, she describes how many white students were in “theory” anti-racist but lacked the everyday work, commitment and communication with Black people needed to actually be anti-racist. I often feel emblematic of those “liberal, wellmeaning” young white people hooks describes.
young white hooks describes.
dissonance I experience has been amplified even more, as I feel like a stilted intruder when I enter community spaces rather than another member of said community.
through my degree, I found myself less likely to visit community and activism spaces on campus, including San José State’s LGBTQIA+serving PRIDE Center as a nonbinary and queer student.
The most effective civil rights movements are based on grassroots, ocal sustained with long-term and to The Commons Social Librar y. As a journalist, this community rather said As I progressed degree, I found myself less to visit San State’s LGBTQIA+PRIDE Center as a nonbinar y and student
but meaningless if not about it
And it’s here that I realize these feelings of white guilt are all but if not channeled into some actionable change. So the question is: how do we all stop wallowing in the injustice of the world and actually do something to craft a better future?
In hooks’s book, she also shares her experience living through the political climate following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, where
and the queer friends left in the dust of the desert. I wonder if I have a responsibility to return, even if just to advocate for them despite that hostile environment.
I’m not sure I can answer that specific question currently, but I do know that wherever I end up, I want to make an effort to be an active
Gloria Jean Watkins, an name bell hooks, may have an answer to 2003 book, Community : A hhhlf
an author and activist better known under the pen name bell hooks, may have an answer to this phenomenon in her 2003 book, “Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope.” Throughout her life,
institutions instill with writing for the future
Countering the despair and hopelessness that oppressive community-building permeates hooks’s writing for the future of activism in “A Pedagogy of Hope.”
“Despair is the threat. When despair prevails, we cannot create
greatest threat. When life-sustaining communities of resistance,” she writes.
communities writes hdl to provoke your reaction, because that’s what drives engagement In the militant activism book, “Joyful Militancy : Building Thriving Resistance in Toxic Times,” Carla also shares her climate the 9/11 attacks,
In the digital age,
With the U.S. administration’s current attacks on immigration, the Buddy System project is one of the ways American students can build solidarity and community with immigrant and international students by becoming mentors and bridging the gap in our local communities.
The project involves U.S. students signing up to be a guide to integrate students entering the U.S. for the first time, after which they are assigned an international student “buddy” by the local coordinator in the student’s city, according to the Buddy System website. Now is the time, more than ever, to befriend your neighbor, work on initiatives in your neighborhood and build resistance to discrimination and the future threat of authoritarianism, brick by brick.
administration’s curr attacks on immigrati the System project is one of the American stude can build and with and international student mentors an the gap in o involve U.S. students to be a to integ students the time after which are an internati student t t student’s accordi the System we to befriend neighb your to authoritarianism, bri brick
GRAPHICS BY SATURN WILLIAMS, PHOTOS FROM SJSU SPECIAL COLLECTIONS ARCHIVES AND FLICKR
Bergman
Saturn Williams A&E & OPINION EDITOR
