This is one of the conclusion speeches given towards the end of Roosevelt’s student-led #MuslimBan protest.

There was undeniably a flood of hate and resistance from Islamophobic folks that circulated social media when this information was released yesterday- that I cannot deny. There was also a flood of support, and that I cannot help but thank everyone for. Your bravery to sacrifice one hour of learning and your Saturday shows your solidarity, it shows your resistance, and it shows the capacity for love you have in your heart.

The same rhetoric used to undermine the Black Lives Matter protest that happened during summer of last year is the same rhetoric used to undermine this one. One of the arguments used repetitively between people of all ages is “Why is there a protest in Eastvale? Eastvale is the last place you should be protesting.” There’s some truth to it. We live in a town of minorities, we attend an 8-star school, and we live in an affluent neighborhood. And because of this, it’s easy to become lazy in our thinking that just because our appearances are perfect that our society is too. And because we live in affluent neighborhood, this fuels a sense of privilege and entitlement for some folks no matter their minority status. There’s no denying that within our own school culture, the n-word still permeates through people’s vocabulary, that people still slut shame, and that your peers still use homophobic slurs despite ALL of them telling you time and time again not to. Eastvale. Has. Problems. Had this city been so perfect, racist, homophobic, misogynist, and Islamophobic culture would not be apart of our vocabulary and everyday rhetoric. Had this city been so perfect, our Congressmen would not be an anti-abortion, anti-immigrant, disconnected incumbent. He believes that our own schools are too federally funded. He doesn’t even care about your own education but people are unaware because we think that Eastvale is so progressive. I mean, have ya’ll seen Eastvale Talks? Have you seen the trash Eastvale parents put out here? And had this city been so perfect, we would have a Muslim folks up here comfortable with speaking their stories without the fear of backlash. But that’s the issue. We couldn’t find much Muslim folks willing to speak in fear of what might happen to them and their family. And that speaks volumes.

How many times does it take for people to remember that this country was founded by a genocide of Native Americans? This entire country was built on the backs of oppressed immigrants. This country was never the white man’s land, and we refuse to allow it to be so. And to all the people who ask “what does a protest accomplish?”- I hope you remember that this entire country was founded as a protest against religious oppression. And unless we want to continue this cycle of hypocrisy and oppression, I suggest that it’s high time we reclaim what we built with respect to Native Americans also.

I attended a teaching about Islam with one of the Muslim leaders from the mosque down the freeway. It’s ridiculous that someone needs to have a gathering just to clarify what Islam is, but that was necessary considering America’s endless prejudice. He made a point about separating religion from culture. God teaches us to love thy neighbor, but America has a culture of blatant and covert racism. It is the same way in all Muslim countries- Allah teaches people to love, but the culture itself may be different. We demonize religion instead of culture. We demonize Muslims for terrorists claiming to be Muslims but not the KKK claiming Christianity as their religion. We marginalize anyone that doesn’t abide by a system of white supremacy.

The refugees, not terrorists, who are seeking refuge here wouldn’t have to be refugees had America not been one of the greatest terrorists of them all. We send countless bombs and drones into foreign countries and justify it with “fighting terrorism.” America allowed xenophobia, corporate interests, and rising fascism to breed even more terrorists. As much as America doesn’t like to hear it, we are terrorists. Uncensored history will teach you that.

And yes, Donald Trump is undeniably an issue. But this protest and other protests aren’t just about one man. We protest against this system of white supremacy that has enabled ignorant fascists to take power in office. Donald Trump is one such man. Oppression is a system and it must be dismantled by any means necessary. What a supremacist system fears is unity and solidarity from and with the oppressed- unity and solidarity so strong that it topples the system that imprisoned our body and our minds and builds a system that recognizes everyone’s humanity. This has to be accomplished for the sake of your humanity, my humanity, and our humanity.

I would like to thank everyone here today for participating and showing their solidarity. Let’s not end our solidarity here, though- there are plenty more issues that deserves the same attention as this. Civil disobedience is only the beginning. We never accomplished anything without disrupting the system in some way or another. Martin Luther King Jr. blocked freeways, and he got hell for it. And whatever hell we get today for this, know that you just became apart of the history. Remember- when we protest together, we rise together.