Facing President Donald Trump’s second term, Georgetown student activists face a different political atmosphere than that of his first administration. Movements that once took to the streets in mass demonstrations nationwide have shifted toward long-term organizing and institutional resistance. With Trump back in the White House, student groups at Georgetown are reevaluating their strategies and gearing up for the challenges ahead.
On Feb. 20, the Justice and Peace Studies Program (JUPS) hosted the Activism in the Trump Era: Student Organizing Panel, where student organizers and faculty discussed what student activism will look like under new restrictions put in place by the Trump Administration. The panel was moderated by Julianne Meneses (CAS ’25), a student program assistant for JUPS, and included Professor Mark Lance, a longtime activist and former JUPS faculty member, alongside student speakers Miranda Xiong (CAS ’25), Miya Yoshida (SFS ’28), Raphaella Alioto Grace (CAS ’28), and Sydney Hudson (SOH ’26).
Panelists commented that the response to Trump’s 2016 election was immediate for many student organizers. Some worked on phone banking efforts, while others joined mass protests to express outrage over the election results. But as political conditions have shifted in his second term, so has activism.
Lance argued that contemporary activism faces several potential risks. He compared the early tenure of the Trump administration to authoritarian governments, describing an “absolutely chilling” and worsening political climate.
“We’re entering a new period,” Lance said. “The damage will not be over in four years.”
Labor organizing, in particular, has faced new hurdles. Xiong, who works with the Georgetown Resident Assistant Coalition (GRAC), noted that establishing unions has become more difficult. GRAC initially requested to be recognized as a bargaining unit for a two-year contract with the university, but it has now shifted to negotiating a four-year contract to ensure resident assistants’ union protections last through the Trump administration, according to Xiong.
For reproductive rights activists, the stakes have only risen; members of H*yas for Choice Following expressed feeling uncertainty for the organization’s future.
“We were devastated,” Hudson said.
Yoshida pointed out that their first worry was whether their organization’s access to resources would now change and if they could still provide resources to students as much as possible prior. However, these initial feelings have only strengthened their commitment. The HFC board has worked to ensure the organization’s foundations remain solid and in place, building stronger internal structures, expanding outreach, and just “putting people’s minds at ease,” according to Hudson.
Many student activist organizations operate without Georgetown’s recognition or institutional support. HFC remains unrecognized by the university, adapting by securing independent funding through grassroots efforts. Yoshida explained that, in some ways, this autonomy has been freeing, allowing the group to work with a broader range of organizations without restrictions.
Other groups have found ways to operate within existing institutional structures for access to funding and organizational support. Xiong noted that while GRAC is now affiliated with the Center for Social Justice, it wasn’t always, and organizers had to find creative ways to build networks and share resources.
Panelists also shared how they have innovated to keep their activism going with limited resources, pointing a way forward for groups who face uncertainty about their access to resources going forward. Grace, who works with Students Demand Action (SDA), emphasized the importance of digital organizing and described how virtual meetings and newsletters have helped maintain connections across advocacy groups, and Hudson echoed with HFC’s own use of social media to encourage students to stay engaged.
“After Trump was elected and our post with resources went out, we made sure to include that you can get involved—just come join us in our meetings; it is super chill and low-stakes,” Hudson said.
Hudson added that HFC has also used its social media presence to platform the work of other activist groups and organizations who have similar goals.
“I’ve been seeing many more informational posts from different organizations,” Hudson said. “We’ve been trying to leverage our following base and grow it to share resources from other groups and lift these up.”
Lance warned that some organizing efforts may be much more challenging within changing legal frameworks as President Trump moves to expand executive power, threatening to further limit First Amendment freedoms. He urged activists to think critically about their approach and be prepared for increasing restrictions on protest and advocacy.
“Organizing of any sort is gonna get harder, it is gonna get riskier,” Lance said. “A lot of people are scared, there have been brutal attacks against organizers, and a whole lot going on below the surface. There’s gonna be a lot of resistance.”
The panelists also discussed the challenge of sustaining momentum and keeping other students involved with their efforts. Hudson described how HFC integrates social elements into organizing, incorporating music and community-building activities to maintain morale, and Xiong noted the importance of delegation and communication with members to divide work evenly among busy student organizers.
“Coming up with defined roles and holding each other more accountable helps with burnout because everyone is doing a lot, you should not be the sole person carrying a movement,” Xiong said.
As activism at Georgetown evolves to adapt to the new presidency, organizers are rethinking what success looks like. Hudson said their vision of success is making sure HFC remains strong and continues serving students, even when existing institutions work against them.
“A lot of the work is about finding ways in which the community needs help to become more sustainable, success means more opportunities, the ability to do new things is a success,” Hudson said.
Lance described activism as a long-term battle where success cannot be solely defined by policy victories.
“If anywhere is oppressed, we haven’t won,” Lance said.
Instead of focusing only on particular goals, Lance values long-term movement-building. An important dimension to consider, according to Lance, is doing work that will take longer than any individual activist’s lifetime—even when the political climate is uncertain.
“At least I have a community that looks like a model of that world, and that is something,” Lance said.
Lance emphasized that activism cannot exist in a bubble, and that students should engage beyond the Georgetown campus to increase their impact and build coalitions with local advocacy groups, labor unions, and grassroots organizations, collaborating across movements to support each other amidst the uncertainty facing activists.
“We have to be brave.”
