On Wednesday, a Baylor student named Natasha shared this video of what happened to her on campus the day after the election:
https://twitter.com/ijaileene/status/796450089149595648
“This guy went out of his way to bump into me, sort of shove me off the sidewalk. He said ‘no n*ggers allowed on the sidewalk.’ I was shocked, like I had no words. This other guy behind me said, ‘Dude, what are you doing? That’s not cool.’ The other one said, ‘What? I’m just trying to make America great again.'”
That was a horrifying situation, but no school is defined solely by its worst actors. Baylor students quickly organized to show that they’ve got Natasha’s back.
ppl of Baylor!! #IwalkwithNatasha #iwalkwithtasha pic.twitter.com/miIdKLXbDs
— P♡ (@princess_pratha) November 10, 2016
Using the hashtag #IWalkWithNatasha, Baylor students agreed to meet her outside of the Tidwell building on Friday after one of her classes. It quickly picked up steam, but the extent of the turnout—which clearly numbers in the hundreds—to walk Natasha to her class surprised even her and her friends.
So proud to see everyone come together and stand up against the racist acts that's been happening on campus #IWalkWithNatasha pic.twitter.com/y2hQQt3pEu
— hailey💕 (@haileykens) November 11, 2016
#Iwalkwithnatasha written on sidewalks at Baylor. Students say they want her to feel heard and safe on campus. #iwalkwithtasha @KCENNews pic.twitter.com/ql78gS6p9G
— Emani Payne (@EmaniPayneTV) November 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/xSHONTIx/status/797128015159427073
Someone standing near the doors to the building as Natasha and her friends exited got a good view of her face as she saw the crowd, and it’s a moving moment.
This crowd at @Baylor is crazy large for #IWalkWithNatasha pic.twitter.com/bhPMRDWDba
— Charlie L. Shugart (@CharlieLSmith0) November 11, 2016
Natasha just came out. pic.twitter.com/gj8Uca2WZD
— Charlie L. Shugart (@CharlieLSmith0) November 11, 2016
These are strange times in America. Incidents of racism and threats following Trump’s win on Tuesday are hardly limited to any one place, but as long as there are so many willing to walk with the Natashas in their community, there’s reason to be hopeful.
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