Campus Clash: A Protester’s View of the UGA Panel Featuring Donald Trump Jr.

On Sept. 27, 2018 it was announced that UGA’s chapter of Turning Point USA, a right-wing group, was hosting an event titled Campus Clash in which the guest speakers in attendance would be Donald Trump Jr., former Fox News personality; his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, TPUSA founder; Executive Director, Charlie Kirk; and Communication Director, Candace Owens. Immediately this event was met with mixed reviews. A lot of students and locals were excited to hear these four talk, especially Trump Jr. The other end of the spectrum held students that were angry that UGA would host these four speakers especially during this time of year.The midterm elections are quickly approaching and the importance of this particular election bears down on everyone. There are pleas for people to register to vote, to use the voice given to them that could affect the Senate and House majorities, in turn affecting the governed citizens (us).

With this in mind, and the Campus Clash event getting so many RSVP’s that the event had to be moved to the Classic Center, it was no wonder that a protest was organized. What the numbers would not tell you is that a good amount of those RSVP’s came from students of varying backgrounds who did not believe in the values that UGA was allowing to be spread. The message was spread in different group chats to come together and peacefully protest against a group that has made many homophobic, misogynistic and racially charged comments. It was a simple message: We will not back down.

Around 60 students from different backgrounds clad in all black met at the Arch to begin their walk to the Classic Center. The streets were cornered off by police; a free speech zone was in action, signaled by a silver gate where other protesters stood with signs; news reporters and vans littered the perimeter; and a mix of supporters, some wearing red MAGA hats, and protesters, not all a part of the student protest, stood waiting to get in.

The first thing I saw walking into the Classic Center auditorium was the American Flag. It has always been a symbol of confusion for me. On one end, it represents a country that my parents migrated to from Nigeria for opportunities for themselves as well as me and my brother. On the other end, it has become apparent that the flag holds a double-edged sword, especially for women of color like myself. So sitting down, looking at the flag in dead-center and seeing all the news reporters vying for good angles and interviews from us, the protesters, I felt like I was in a scene from the hit Netflix show, Dear White People.

As soon as the event began, Candace Owens walked out and without acknowledgement of what they came there to do that day, she began with, “We’ve got a group of protesters that are sitting in the middle section. They’re planning a walk out because as you know, most of these protesters are petulant children who need attention.” And I knew that, for the first time, I would be challenged directly in the way I saw politics and the world. From that point on, many things stuck out to me, and I want to thank the four speakers and the students and adults in the audience for opening my eyes a little bit wider.

The first dart that was thrown: the phrase “toxic Feminism.” And it was not just the word itself, but the context in which it was used. Whenever I hear about one more woman who has come out and shared her truth about a sexual assault that happened to her, no matter how many years ago, I sympathize. Because while I’ve never, and hope to never, have to use my words to speak a truth as disheartening as that, the fear that cripples these woman to share it with the world is one no one but themselves can understand. So when Christine Blasey Ford spoke up about an alleged assault against her made by Brett Kavanaugh, my first thought was not “why didn’t she say anything sooner?” It was that I hope she receives the peace she deserves.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the implications and consequences that come with these allegations; there are vindictive women who lie on men and ruin their lives. But up on that stage, Candace Owens disregarded the true purpose of a whole movement meant to uplift women and said, “I have been critical of the #MeToo movements since it first came into fruition… I understood that it was going to raise a major threat to our men in this country. This country needs men. This country was built by great men.” I could not, for the life of me, understand how a woman in a position of power and influence as herself could undermine the importance of women in this world. “It is time for girls to speak out and defend our boys and defend our men against toxic feminism.” I understand the concept and ideas behind toxic feminism. Like every other ideology, there are extremists, but the whole thing felt like a total dismissal of the movement.

It was like I was listening to a woman not of the 21st century tell a group of constituents that women were only placed on this earth to be a man’s subordinate, that their needs did not matter, their voices did not matter. Then Candace, pray tell, why are you on that stage? Her answer would probably be because a great man like Donald Trump allowed her to be, but I digress.  From the beginning, the event felt like an attack against the protesters who were there to peacefully protest ideas they were against, a free speech right given to everyone. The speakers on the stage claimed they were there to listen to the opposition and engage in civil discourse, but with every word that came out of their mouths, I believed it less and less. It would be remiss of me to sit in that crowd looking for change and ignore the fact that some of the things that were said held truth and sense to it. But they were bogged down by the personal assaults I felt. Charlie Kirk wore a “justice for Brett Kavanaugh” shirt, a shirt that reminded me of the faces of black boys who were the victims of police brutality on white t-shirts yelling for justice as well. The problem is that they are dead. They could not fight against any character assassinations against their name like Kavanaugh could. When Brett Kavanaugh was then compared to Emmett Till, a young African American boy in the 50s who was lynched and mutilated after being falsely accused of whistling at a white woman, the disbelief at hearing such statements in real life were appealing to me. I love different political views and beliefs. I love when people approach things from a different way, but not when they promote hate, ignorance and lack of knowledge.

To Candace Owens, we (African Americans) are poorer today than in the 60s because of systematic racism, and the single motherhood rate you spoke of that increased from 23% to 74% has increased because black men are being disproportionately arrested and placed in prisons under either wrongful convictions or for petty crimes that their white counterparts would’ve gotten either a smaller or no sentence for. And don’t get me started on the statement that Kanye West is the bravest man in American right now, because a man who designed to wear a red hat, ignore history and then backpedal on multiple statement’s he’s made without care is braver than the thousands of men and women who serve our country.

To Charlie Kirk, that paycheck you spoke of that protestors received from the left, when is said paycheck coming in? Because I haven’t received it yet. Hey Charlie Kirk, it’s me again: to insinuate that the left is prone to violence and smashing windows when the right was literally the cause of many riots during the 2016 presidential election is indicative of selective memory.

To the students who chanted U.S.A as the protestors walked out, chanting a country’s name that was seldom great for minorities and women won’t suddenly make us start standing for an anthem that was forged without us in mind. Also to the students who stood and said they’ve felt as though they’ve been penalized, graded differently, or treated differently because of their viewpoint or political discussion, I have some news that may be startling for you. While you shouldn’t have to, being penalized for having a different viewpoint is something that you can change; being penalized for having a different skin tone is something you can’t.

Third-year Human Development and Family Science and Psychology major, Kaela Yamini, was one of the organizers of the protest and is the president of the UGA chapter of the NAACP. When I asked her what the goal of the protest was she said, “The goal of the protest was to show that we have a presence on campus and to show that we can oppose someone’s views in a nonviolent way.” She also encouraged student voters to use their voice, “and remember that we have the power to elect representatives that truly stand for our morals and values, but we cannot facilitate change if we do not vote.”

While the event was politically charged, it put many things into perspective. Whatever your views, values, beliefs and ideas may be, make sure to use your voice to stand up for things you believe in. Be critical, but do your research. The world is ours and its future is one we must handle with great care.

Photos Courtesy of Laura Nwogu 

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