CLEVELAND, Ohio – Students from a Cleveland charter school marched at three locations Friday to draw attention to President Donald Trump’s immigration polices.
The middle school students from the Citizens Leadership Academy (CLA) volunteered for the marches, which were designed to teach them to be leaders in community engagement.
“CLA’s mission is to prepare students to lead in academics, but more importantly to be civically-engaged people who are up standers and do what’s right for humanity,” said academy founder Shelly Saltzman.
She added, “So if these students don’t step up and learn to be leaders, who will?” Students marched around the reflective pond at the Cleveland Clinic’s Miller Pavilion in support of doctors and scientists from Muslim countries working in the United States.
They also marched at University Circle United Methodist Church, which opens its doors to refugees, and at The Islamic Center of Cleveland to show support for all religions in this country.
CLA student Naomi Hunt’s parents were born in the Bahamas and immigrated to the United States while her mother was pregnant with her.
“The U.S. was built from immigrants and I just don’t think it’s right to ban innocent people,” Hunt said.
Saltzman said students whose views and ideas didn’t align with the march did not have to participate.
Other groups have demonstrated in Northeast Ohio this week in reaction to Trump signing an executive order imposing a 90-day travel ban on citizens from seven countries.
All the countries are majority Muslim and Trump has said the order was to prevent a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
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