A high school student in Garden City, Kansas has organized a rally for to show support for the southwest Kansas community’s diverse population in light of President Donald Trump’s executive orders last week to build a border wall on the Mexico border and the U.S travel ban for citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries.
As The Garden City Telegram reports, Garden City High School senior Isabel Serafin knows the Garden City community is rich in culture and diversity and is worried about Trump’s recent orders could harshly affect that.
In an attempt to ease some of the pain she says is being felt by some of her classmates and their parents, Serafin is bringing the community together at the #NoHateInMyTown rally, taking place from noon to 4 p.m. in Stevens Park.
Serafin was inspired by a small rally held last Sunday at the Garden Spot apartments – home to many of the community’s Somali refugees – that was the target of a foiled bomb plot that landed three southwest Kansas men in jail in October on domestic terrorism charges.
Demonstrators held signs in front of the complex, along with many local Somali Muslim residents, saying “#NoBanNoWall,” as some passing cars honked in support, while others sped by in apparent indignation.
Serafin told The Telegram that she wanted to organize this Sunday’s rally to give people who are against Trump’s orders the chance to share their opinions, but that it is intended to be peaceful, with the goal of unifying the communities being affected by the orders.
“This is entirely peaceful. The theme is no hate, and that’s no hate from or toward anybody,” Serafin said.
The 17-year-old also intends to set up a voter registration booth at the rally.
As of Thursday, about 148 people were planning to attend the event, according to its Facebook page.
But some expressed concerns that Serafin’s rally is an anti-Trump rally, but she said that is not the case and welcomed those in favor of the travel ban to come and speak, as well.