It was an afternoon of solidarity and communal healing, as dozens of students and residents from the greater Lansing community gathered on Grand River to stand in support of Muslim refugees and to speak out against anti-Muslim rhetoric that has become popularized in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings in California.
Organized by the Greater Lansing Network Against War and Injustice and residents from the surrounding community, sign bearers stood on the median between Abbot Road and Grand River Avenue, holding messages of peace and support for Muslims abroad and in the U.S.
Dafer Salem, a Muslim, Lansing resident and program manager who works for Dart Container in Mason, MI, was in attendance with his wife at the rally. He said he was overjoyed to see the support surrounding him.
"We are here for this wonderful event with our neighbors in Lansing and East Lansing in support of free religion and against Islamophobia. I just came here with my wife to show that we are normal people and the same as any other communities, they have their good and their bad," Salem said.
Midway through the demonstration a space was made to allow religious leaders to give a short speech commending the community for its support of refugees and the diversity of religious practices.
Among them was Michael Zimmerman, the rabbi at the Kehillat Israel synagogue in Lansing, who greeted the protesters with a Hebrew expression of good tidings, cited Emma Lazarus' famous poem on the State of Liberty welcoming immigrants and refugees and urging people to not let fear defeat its message.
"Once again, East Lansing proudly enhances diversity and stands together to guarantee the safety, hospitality and respect that all our residents deserve," Zimmerman said.
Students from both MSU and from the local East Lansing High School or ELHS were also in attendance.
Andrew Barsom, a fifth year graduate student, carried a sign with a satirical message of "Don't Be A Schmuck (Please.)" His comment regarding why he came out to the rally held a similarly sarcastic, though positive, tone.
"I think the current political discourse needs to be mellowed out a little bit and a bunch of people getting out here and standing up for being sane and decent to other people can help that," Barsom said.
Brianna Wells and Sarah Hansen, both seniors at ELHS, came out as representatives of their Students for Gender Equality club as well as just members of the community. They too said they were pleased with the turnout and general outpouring of support.
"It's exciting that so many people are here and support this cause and it's really great that there are people in our community who want to come together and do this," Wells said.
"I think we live in a pretty incredible town to have this happen, not many other towns around here would be able to do this," Hansen said.
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