Hundreds of students gathered in Kalamazoo's Bronson Park Friday morning to march for farm workers' rights.
Students from multiple area high schools and some middle school students came to the annual Cesar Chavez March.
Cristóbal Rodríguez is the Associate Provost for Equity-Centered Initiatives at Western Michigan University. He said the march had many themes, from protecting the rights of farm workers to access to education.
“As we see the challenges that we're seeing for particularly for some of our international students, it's part of the threat on public education because who does it serve? Who does it educate? And it really is a part of the struggle that we're in today.”
Kalamazoo's second "economic blackout" protest took place in the afternoon, attracting a crowd of about 140 people.
There was no single issue the protestors focused on. Some criticized President Trump’s tariffs. Others, the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man deported to a prison in El Salvador despite having permission to stay in the US.
Michael, who did not want to give his full name, said the deportation of Garcia without due process left him deeply concerned.
“If all it takes is for somebody who is supporting Trump or Trump himself to point at someone and call them a criminal with no due process, then no one is safe. Then we do not have a democracy.”
Loretta Cain held a sign that said, “fighting for our democracy.”
“We the people of the United States of America, we are here to lift our voice to the people in office and to God. We need help.”
Protesters also called for people not to shop on Friday.
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
