What Do Black UF Students Want from Presidential Candidates?
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
We Inform. You Decide. www.alligator.org VOLUME 114 ISSUE 67 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020 Not officially associated with the University of Florida Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida DACA students STUDENTS FOR BERNIE UF Muslims rely on others have to vote concerns for DACA RECIPIENTS AND safety, policy INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WEIGH IN ON PRIMARIES 78 PERCENT OF MUSLIM By AJ Bafer AMERICANS APPROVED OF Alligator Contributing Writer PRESIDENT OBAMA Michell Hernandez and Saira By Samia Lagmis Gonzalez do not exist. Alligator Staff Writer The two are undefi ned in UF’s eyes, marked down as resident aliens despite As a Muslim, Wafaa Ateyah said not being residents. Their status as This series of stories is a part of The she felt most vulnerable during the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Alligator’s coverage on how minority 2016 presidential election. (DACA) recipients has left them feeling communities and UF students feel Weeks after President Donald confi ned, they said. about the 2020 presidential primary Trump’s initial proposal of a ban Students like them are affected on predominantely Muslim coun- from the get-go, Gonzalez said. election, candidates and policy. Read tries, Ateyah was riding on an RTS Preview is exciting for most, but hard current and future coverage of these bus from campus to the Oaks Mall for undocumented students who issues online at bitly://ifa.news/2020. when someone got on, pointed at know they could be pulled aside and her and mouthed the words “f--- told something is wrong with their Nushrat Nur // Alligator Staff you.” documentation, or that they are not Will Hudgins, a 19-year-old UF computer science freshman, and Sophia Prendiville, a She stayed silent. eligible for fi nancial aid. 19-year-old UF mathematics freshman, take a photo with a cutout of Vermont Sen. Bernie Ateyah, a 22-year-old Egyptian- “The things that most students American UF alumna and associate experience, we are very isolated in,” Sanders in front of the Reitz Union. research coordinator in the univer- Hernandez said. sity’s psychology department, said Hernandez, a 22-year-old this wasn’t the fi rst time she real- microbiology and cell science senior, ized her faith had become a target. is the co-president of immigrant rights For her, these challenges as a group UF Chispas. Gonzalez, an What do black UF students want Muslim woman have only wors- 18-year-old anthropology sophomore, ened under Trump’s administra- is the group’s assistant membership tion. Even pumping gas in her car director. They immigrated from Mexico while wearing a hijab has become a at 1 and 3 years old, respectively. from presidential candidates? source of anxiety, Ateyah said. Hernandez and Gonzalez are two of With more than one million reg- 2.2 million temporary lawful residents istered Muslim voters in the U.S, in the U.S., according to Pew Research. Older black voters appeared to favor former the group is expected to be a decid- Their status permits their residence ing factor in the 2020 elections, ac- in the United States even though they cording to a press release from The are undocumented, but makes them Vice President Joe Biden on Super Tuesday Council on American-Islamic Re- lations, America’s largest Muslim unable to vote in the upcoming Florida By Samantha Chery primary election on March 17, further civil liberties organization. Alligator Staff Writer Although black voters appeared to favor former The organization added that setting them apart from fellow students. Vice President Joe Biden on Super Tuesday, younger Still, like many other students they believe the election season is When Khadijah Dabo votes, she’s voting for black voters brought a different perspective to the continuing to fuel anti-Muslim and who won’t be able to cast a ballot, three people instead of one. polls, according to The Guardian. their history has them invested in the anti-immigrant hate. They believe it Dabo, the daughter of Senegalese immigrants In search for a candidate who will address was rise as Election Day approach- election, where they try to make their who are unable to vote in U.S. elections, said she problems that specifi cally affect the black voices heard. es. wasn’t necessarily raised with a “roadmap” of community, many black voters including Dabo, Only 16 percent of Muslim American politics. Rather than parties, her parents have aligned with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for Americans approve of Trump as Civic duty raised her on principles: to be respectful, open- president. president, according to a 2019 sur- Hernandez and Gonzalez have lived minded and honest. Dabo said she supports Sanders because of his vey from The Institute of Policy in the United States their entire lives, But when she goes to the polls, she has herself promise for an easier pathway to citizenship, which and Understanding or ISPU. This fi rst applying for DACA at 16 years old. and her parents to think about. she hopes will benefi t her Senegalese parents, who number dropped drastically from The program allows undocumented She said these values have helped shape her have lived in the U.S. for more than two decades. 2016, when surveys showed that immigrants who were brought to the political views, which have increasing importance. She said her mother always talks about how 78 percent of Muslim Americans U.S. as children to be granted residency, “It affects them,” Dabo, a 20-year-old UF health diffi cult it is for her to fi nd work and travel because approved of then-President Barack renewable every two years. science sophomore, said. “If they were deported, of her immigration status. Obama. It is estimated that half of eligible where would that put my family?” “She loves to travel, and she’s kind of just stuck “Whether it’s the stares that recipients are in high school or college, It’s personal questions that could compel Dabo in the states,” Dabo said. “She can’t go anywhere you’re going to get, or just the ver- according to the Hechinger Report. to vote more liberally or conservatively. because she wouldn’t be able to come back.” bal attacks that you’re going to get DACA was rescinded in 2017, and Eighty-four percent of black voters are either Dabo also believes in affordable and equal or even in your place of worship,” Democratic or lean toward the party, while about 8 access to healthcare. She trusts that Sanders’ Ateyah said that she’s experienced SEE CAN’T VOTE, PAGE 6 percent at least somewhat identify as Republicans, according to the Pew Research Center. SEE BLACK VOTERS, PAGE 6 SEE MUSLIM, PAGE 6 Food trucks are coming to campus SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUTFlorida’s winning streak snapped See what’s coming today, pg. 5 FOLLOW US ONLINE FOR UPDATES byStory FSU description fi nish with comma, pg# The Gators dropped their fi rst game of the season on Tuesday night losing to Florida St. First Alachua coronavirus case confi rmed 2-0, pg. 11 UF is also asking professors to prepare to go online, pg. 4 @FloridaAlligator @TheAlligator_ @TheAlligator @alligator_newspaper 2 ALLIGATOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020 Today’s Weather VOLUME 114 ISSUE 67 ISSN 0889-2423 Not offi cially associated with the University of Florida Published by Campus Communications Inc., of Gainesville, Florida NEWSROOM: 352-376-4458 • Fax: 352-376-4467 Editor Christina Morales, [email protected] Engagement Managing Editor River Wells, [email protected] AM PM Digital Managing Editor Lina Ruiz, [email protected] NOON Metro Editor Alex De Luca, [email protected] University Editor Alyssa Feliciano, [email protected] HIGH 81° LOW 55° Have an event planned? Enterprise Editor Hope Dean, [email protected] Add it to the alligator’s Digital Editor Stephany Matat, [email protected] online calendar: Sports Editor Kyle Wood, [email protected] Local Events / News in Brief alligator.org/calendar Assistant Sports Editor Evan Lepak, [email protected] Online Sports Editor Brendan Farrell, [email protected] a “Hacked” theme, paying tribute to cyberpunk movies Editorial Board Christina Morales, River Wells, Lina Ruiz and role-playing games from Multimedia Editor Nushrat Nur, [email protected] the past. The event will include the Avenue Editor Cassandra Perez, [email protected] vendors and artists, multiple Copy Desk Chiefs Ellen Bausback, [email protected] panels, a costume contest, Katelynn Joyner, [email protected] an art room and much more. Blake Trauschke, [email protected] SwampCon begins on Saturday Copy Editor Chloe Greenberg, Annie Hassan, Manny Rea and will run into Sunday. DISPLAY ADVERTISING 352-376-4482 • Fax: 352-376-4556 Gainesville Food Truck Rally Advertising Office Manager Cheryl del Rosario, [email protected] Where: High Dive, located at Intern Coordinator Ellen Light, [email protected] 210 SW Second Ave. Sales Representatives Julia Andersen, Zackary Archer WHAT’S HAPPENING? The event will feature photo When: 5-11 p.m. Marc Fiol, Alexander La opportunities and themed What: High Dive holds a Early Voting drinks. General Admission food truck rally for Aces in SparkIt Creative Advertising 239-980-6995 • [email protected] When: Now until March 14 is $10 and a $15 ticket will Motion, a Gainesville charity Creative Director Bismarie Plasencia, [email protected] from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. get attendees entry and two focusing on at-risk or disabled Project Manager Alejandro D'Agostino, [email protected] Where: Alachua County themed drinks. Must be 18 or youth. Attendees can vote for Senior Copywriter Michael Weinberg, weinbergm@ufl .edu Supervisor of Elections Office, older to attend. their favorite food truck with Account Executive Brian Gurges, [email protected] Tower Road Branch Library, a donation, and the winning Millhopper Branch Library, Moonlight Market food truck will receive a prize CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 352-373-FIND • Fax: 352-376-3015 Legacy Park Multipurpose Where: The AUK Market, from a local sponsor.