Editor’s note: This story contains the inclusion of an anonymous source who was granted anonymity in compliance with SPJ Code of Ethics.
Students, faculty, staff and locals marched on King Street in a protest held Monday which was attended by about 70 people at its peak. They marched for a number of causes, including LGBTQ+ rights, criticism of president Trump and Elon Musk, defending civil servants and freedom of speech.
This protest was a part of a larger effort of activists around the country marking Presidents Day with protests of the current administration. Protests were held in Raleigh, Charlotte, Washington, Boston, Denver and other cities.
The march lasted over three hours and covered much of downtown Boone and the App State campus. The group started at East Hall, where a group of over 20 individuals met and went over ground rules for the protest. They also introduced themselves to one another and shared their reasons for protesting. East Hall is the current home of the studio art department. Last year, studio art students participated in a protest in response to funding cuts and unsuitable conditions in Wey Hall.
This year many art majors also participated in the President’s Day protest, including senior Bug Gallimore, the organizer of the protest. This is the first protest they have led, and Gallimore said they plan on using their degree as a method for community organizing and mutual aid.
“With the new chancellor it’s been going better,” Gallimore said. “There’s still a lot to get done.”
Gallimore said their biggest motivation for leading the protest was their transgender identity, as they are nonbinary and use they/them pronouns. Last year, they were able to receive counseling and gender-affirming care through App State’s Student Health Services and App State’s Student Blue insurance through Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Gallimore said they are concerned that the new political climate will lead to these resources being dismantled as a part of cutbacks on diversity, equity and inclusion.
During their address at East Hall, Gallimore said the protest’s goal was to advocate for basic human rights. They also said they wanted the protest to remain peaceful.
After addressing over 20 protesters on the lawn at East Hall, Gallimore led a march through Sanford Mall and onto King Street. Another protester pushed a cart with a large speaker that played “It’s Okay to Punch Nazis” by Cheap Perfume, “American Idiot” by Green Day and “FDT” by YG and Nipsey Hussle.
Upon arriving on King Street, the marchers met up with a larger group of protesters gathered around the Doc Watson statue, doubling the size of the crowd. As the protesters marched along King Street, they were met with honking and shouts of support from pedestrians and drivers. Protesters said they were also pleasantly surprised by the positive reaction from spectators.
One of the spectators of the protest was Bob Werth, a Navy veteran and App State graduate who has lived in Watauga County since the 1970s.
“We all need to be out protesting,” Werth said. “What’s happening to our government is a travesty. There is more at stake now than there ever has been.”
The crowd made five laps around King Street from Earthfare to Mellow Mushroom. They also marched once through campus, crossing Rivers Street, inside the student union and the first floor of Belk Library. As they walked, they shouted chants such as “Human rights now,” “Deny, Defend, Depose,” “No justice no peace,” “Elon Musk has got to go” and “No Elon, No KKK, No Fascists in the USA.”
Jaidyn Toomey, a junior apparel design and management major, described opposing fascism as a major drive for marching and listed staying educated and prioritizing your community as ways to resist it alongside protesting.
“We have to protest to let the government know that they can’t do what they’re doing now,” Toomey said.
An App State faculty member also attended the protest. This faculty member will remain anonymous for the story.
“Given our situation, silence is complicity,” the faculty member said. “At the very least, we need to do the bare minimum above voting, which is getting out and marching. As citizens of a democracy, we have a duty to defend it.”
They expressed concern over the autonomy of App State under the Trump administration. He said the attacks on DEI programs could have further-reaching effects than campus diversity, damaging App State’s ability to serve as a haven for independent thought.
“I would not be surprised if there were job cuts for professors,” they said. “However, my primary concern is that universities won’t uphold their duty to resist the changes.”
After the third lap around campus, the crowd decreased from 70 to 30 and then to less than 20. The small crowd was quieter, but they continued to shout slogans and gather noise from passing cars on King Street. Gallimore remained in the front of the march.
Chris Coppit, a junior anthropology major, played “This Land is our Land” on a banjo throughout the protest.
“I think we’re at a turning point in America,” Coppit said. “Young people have to unify and ask if we want to be looked down upon by the world or looked up to.”