Donald Trump announced he won the presidency, and, within hours, the Michigan State College Democrats started organizing a rally.
"The representation is gone, and if we get together all these people here and show that we have a voice, we're still here, no matter who is in government they still have to listen to us, and that together we are stronger," MSU College Democrat and Junior Connor Berdy said.
More than a thousand people gathered at "the Rock" at the center of campus. "Knowing that there's a lot of support locally is a really good feeling," Lia Baldori, who is a student at Okemos High School and still just a little too young to vote, said.
But this was not a political rally, and Berdy says it was definitely not an anti-Trump protest. "People are sick of politics, the election cycle and everything, and we don't want to make this a partisan thing because making it partisan excludes people," he said, noting that Republicans and Democrats were all welcome.
The gathering is about bringing people together, especially after a divisive election, Berdy said. "It sends the message that we are strong, we are strong together, and we have rights, and we have things that our elected officials, no matter what party they are, have to listen to us and have to stand up and represent us," he said.
One man at the rally said that is important, because political parties will probably only become more divided. Events like Thursday night's rally are necessary. "To voice the people's opinion more than the political leaders' opinions because I feel like a lot of time those two opinions are different," Eric Robert Johnson said.
After the rally, hundreds of people marched down Grand River Avenue toward the Capitol, then looped back around and walked as a group through campus.
