Muslims and Muslims alike in at least nine cities participated in I Am Muslim Too Rallies Sunday.
The rallies were held from New York to Los Angeles with such protestors as Chelsea Clinton and Edward James Olmos joined by thousands of others.
Thank you to all who organized #IAmAMuslimToo today – Charlotte’s 1st protest rally. #NoBanNoWallNoRaids pic.twitter.com/5mSXGQtPJU
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) February 19, 2017
They were there to protest the now-defunct Muslim ban and to show their support for Muslim Americans.
“You’re the reason we have hope, every single one of you gives us that reason,” said Olmos in Los Angeles, reported KABC. “You show us that we are really in a position of understanding.”
A similar message came from hip hop mogul Russell Simmons in New York.
“We are here today to show middle America our beautiful signs and, through our beautiful actions and intention, that they have been misled,” Simmons said in New York, according to Complex. “We are here unified because of Donald Trump. We want to thank him for bringing us together.”
At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the Ping Chong + Company of New York performed to explore stereotypes of Muslim identity, reported the Michigan Daily.
About one thousand people attended.
“I think the urgency of the xenophobia that is rampant in our president’s new administration makes it very important to have Muslim people speak for themselves across this country,” Chong said. “These are real Muslims, they’re not actors. These are people who actually lived their lives in that culture, in that faith.”
The company has performed the piece 50 times both nationally and internationally.
“You see how everyone’s experiences are so different and it’s based on all of these different identities you hold,” said senior Brittany Chew. “It shows it’s not additive — your identity is so much more complex based on the intersections of it.”
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