Over 150 demonstrators gathered in front of the Department of Education building on April 4 for the “Hands Off Our Schools” Rally. The rally was as a response to the Trump administration’s orders gutting the Dept. of Education; calling for an end to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs; and deporting hundreds of immigrants.
Photo by Izzy Wagener Georgetown students among the crowd of demonstrators at the rally.Photo by Izzy Wagener
To organize the rally, GUSA formed a coalition with student governments from Howard University, American University, George Mason University, and Temple University, as well as students from D.C. Public Schools.
At the rally, organizers gave out fliers listing four demands: strengthening the Dept. of Education, passing legislation that protects students of marginalized backgrounds from federal policies, opposing anti-DEI policies, and protecting the right of university community members to express their opinions.
The rally included prominent speakers in education, politics, and activism, including Dr. Jamaal Bowman, a former educator and New York congressman, and Mary Beth Tinker, who protested the Vietnam War at 13 and whose suspension from school led to the historic Tinker v. Des Moine Supreme Court case in 1969.
“The Supreme Court said neither students nor teachers leave their constitutional rights to expressions when they enter the schoolhouse gate,” Tinker said in her speech. “A lot of schools around the country and a lot of legislatures and school boards need to remember that message.”
Photo by Izzy Wagener Tinker speaks at the rally.Photo by Izzy Wagener
The protest came less than three weeks after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detained Dr. Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown postdoc researcher. His wife is an American citizen who was primarily raised in Gaza, and her father-in-law was formerly an advisor to Hamas. Khan Suri’s lawyer has filed a lawsuit arguing that his arrest is a violation of his free speech and due process rights.
Roudah Chaker (CAS ’24, GSAS ’25) spoke at the rally about how Khan Suri’s arrest is affecting students at Georgetown.
“What was his crime? Being married to a Palestinian woman and having the courage to openly oppose genocide and injustice. I’ve known Dr. Badar Khan for three years. To say that he’s a pillar of our Georgetown community doesn’t even begin to capture who he truly is,” she said. “We demand immediate release and freedom of Badar Khan Suri, Mahmoud Khalil, and everyone else who has been unjustly abducted and imprisoned.”
In addition to Khan Suri’s detention, GUSA Executive President Ethan Henshaw (CAS ’26) described a recent letter from the Dept. of Education to educational institutions as one of the key issues that led him to organize this rally. The letter, issued by Craig Trainor, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Dept. of Education on Feb. 14, called for educational institutions to terminate DEI programs.
Photo by Izzy Wagener Henshaw gives a speech at the rally.Photo by Izzy Wagener
Other Georgetown students told the Voice that they attended the rally because the Trump administration’s education policies are directly affecting their communities at home. Evan Cornell (CAS ’27) hails from a small town in Florida. He said that he is concerned about the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding at already underfunded schools in rural and small towns.
“We are under attack. We have seen time and again the barriers that are in place for rural and small town students,” Cornell said. “These federal grants aren’t just a supplement, but they are a lifeline.”
Elinor Clark (CAS ’27) said that she attended the rally to hold the university and federal administration accountable for policies that she believes put students at risk.
“Georgetown University has a duty to protect its students, to protect its purpose, to protect its staff, and now our community as a whole from these illegal detainments and deportations. As students, we must hold the university and the federal administration accountable to the values of our democracy,” Clark said.
In addition to Georgetown students, educators also attended the rally to protest threats against public schools. Jeanne Grem, a retired elementary school principal and teacher, spoke to the Voice about her concerns about attacks on the Dept. of Education.
“The general dismantling of the Department of Education is both infuriating and heartbreaking that we’ve come to this point,” Grem said. “It gets harder every year and there’s less money for teachers every year.”
Photo by Izzy Wagener An American flag and a Dept. of Education flag fly in in front of the Dept. of Education building.Photo by Izzy Wagener
Despite the strong support from local student governments and politicians, the rally initially received some pushback from within GUSA. In March, GUSA voted 13-2 in favor of organizing the rally.
Henshaw and GUSA Executive Vice President Darius Wagner (CAS ’27) said that the main pushback against the rally came from members of GUSA who were concerned about potential retaliation against the university and about alienating members of the student body who disagree with the rally’s principles.
“It was clearly coming from a perspective that supporters of the president may be alienated from our message. But on the flip side, we have academics being unfairly abducted,” Wagner said. “Some may disagree, but there are many others that don’t even have the privilege to disagree because of how much these actions are affecting their day-to-day lives.”
Photo by Izzy Wagener Wagener speaks at the protest.Photo by Izzy Wagener
While Wagner understands students’ concerns about the Trump administration retaliating against Georgetown or students as a result of the protest, he emphasized that Georgetown is already a target, regardless of whether GUSA organizes a protest.
“We’re already on their list. They’re not waiting there. They already have targeted our law center, and we’re already under investigation from the DOE [Dept. of Education]. This is not something that’s waiting to happen,” Wagner said.
Clark said that students who are able to should stand up against policies that threaten fellow students.
“To international students, I say protect yourselves, protect your community, resist in ways that feel safe to you,” she said. “To students who are citizens and who have full citizenship, it is our job to stand up for our peers who are threatened if they do the same.”
In an interview with the Voice, Bowman encouraged Georgetown students to stand up for themselves and use the resources available to them.
“We have to liberate ourselves. We cannot depend solely on current elected officials to do what’s necessary and to fight for us,” he said. “For students in Georgetown, use every resource that you have, your brilliance, your intelligence, your heart, your resources, to help us organize a mass movement to save our education system.”
Photo by Izzy Wagener Bowman gives a speech at the protest.Photo by Izzy Wagener
Wagner emphasized that attempts to silence students and activists demonstrate the significance of their efforts.
“They are trying so hard to strip us of our voice,” he said. “If they’re threatening to deport us from our campuses and shut down our schools, then it is undeniable that all the voices we have, the voices we share in our classrooms, the voices we share as we engage in our cultural spaces, that they possess something powerful.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to remove George Washington (GW) University from the list of student governments supporting the rally. GW’s Student Government Association withdrew their endorsement a day before the protest.
