My Experience Organizing a Protest
By: Mallory Johnson
One of my best friends, the wonderful Mandy Swidersky, recently organized a protest humorously called the “Stop the BS in the US Rally.” The rally was protesting recent bills in the United States, including the bans of gender affirming healthcare and public drag performances in Tennessee, and the ban of diversity programs in universities, like the Gender and Women’s Studies program that Brandon University (BU) has. I am very proud of Mandy for jumping into action to help people that live in a different country. I spoke to her about the protest, her experience, and the process of organizing the rally itself.
Mandy does not have prior experience when it comes to organizing a protest but has attended them in the past. The most recent one she attended was in June 2020, Brandon’s Black Lives Matter protest. In the past, she has also attended protests for Autism Awareness and violence against women. Last semester (Fall 2022), Mandy took the course 36/90:350 Transnational Social Change (that I also took with her), where she learned about “different aspects of social movements that were important for mobilizing. I learned some very valuable information during that course that allowed me to mobilize effectively for this protest.” In high school, Mandy was very passionate about social justice and would organize events to raise awareness and funds for local causes. For four years in her middle and high school career, she ran a “24-Hour Famine event that raised awareness about the issue of food insecurity in our community and also gathered donations to fund our local food bank.” While organizing a protest is a new experience for Mandy, she is no stranger to rallying for social causes.
For Mandy, the hardest part of organizing this protest was “trying to coordinate all the moving parts. Being the central person in all this, I was the one who had to make sure that my times were precise and that the information I was giving to others was accurate.” There was a lot of information that Mandy had to keep straight in her head, but it all worked out!
I asked Mandy what a highlight of the protest was, and she said, “this technically happened after the protest had already concluded, but the supportiveness of attendees after the rally is something that will stay with me forever. Once the rally was over, many of the attendees went to the Mingling Area to decompress. We spoke about the event and people shared their stories. It was a beautiful moment and it reminded me of what I was fighting for. I wanted all people to have a safe and supportive community where they are free to share their experiences and speak their minds. Being able to decompress after the rally as a community was incredibly important, as it brings up some heavy emotions for some people. Since we were able to stand together and talk about the evening’s event, I think it allowed us to feel a greater sense of community.”
Mandy’s main motivation for organizing the protest was her belief that people should have the right to learn and be whoever they want. She said, “the students in Florida should have the right to learn about intersectionality and how racism impacts all aspects of our society. The drag queens in Tennessee should have the right to perform their art and be who they want to be. The transgender youth around the United States should have the right to seek gender-affirming care so they can fully embrace their identity. Knowledge saves lives. Art saves lives. Gender-affirming care saves lives.”
Mandy was inspired to organize this protest after receiving a link to an article from her mom that explained Bill 999, which planned to ban gender, race, and intersectionality studies from universities in Florida. Since she has been fortunate enough to pursue a major in Gender and Women’s studies here at BU, she was upset that other students may not have the same opportunity. “These are critical areas of study that need to continue to be researched and talked about. These issues are as prevalent as ever in our society, so it is important that we elevate these topics instead of hiding them.”
If you or anyone you know would like to help those impacted by these discriminatory bills, Mandy shared that the students in Florida have set up a GoFundMe page called “Stand for Freedom,” which will use the funds to aid in their protesting efforts. They also have an Instagram account that is active and shares their efforts in a wonderful way. As far as Tennessee, “many drag queens and transgender individuals have personal GoFundMe pages, as many of them are trying to escape Tennessee. Readers can support them through these means if they wish. One thing I will mention is the power of awareness. I understand that money is tight for a lot of people right now, and that donating money is not an option. If you still want to help, elevating the voices of people struggling in the United States will greatly help. Reposting pictures and videos on social media pages will greatly help their efforts and bring awareness to these issues. By simply showing your support online, it is possible that these issues will gain the awareness they need to be taken seriously.” Mandy continued by sharing an online petition that can be found at the link: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4268. Regarding this petition, she said, “another way to help is by signing this petition on the House of Commons website. Petition e-4268 (Citizenship and immigration) outlines the desire to extend the offer of asylum in Canada to transgender and nonbinary people around the world. This petition would allow transgender and nonbinary individuals ‘the right to claim asylum in Canada by reason of eliminationist laws in their home countries, whatever country that may be.’”
Mandy shared some lovely advice for all readers who may want to organize or help organize a protest of their own. She said, “don’t be discouraged if some people are unwilling to help you. I emailed at least nine different clubs and organizations around BU and Brandon, and only three of them responded. The right people who value the same things you do will help you. Do not be discouraged by the amount of ‘no’s’ you get- be grateful for the ones who said yes. Reach out to friends and ask them if they have any connections. You never know who they might know. Don’t be afraid to reach out to organizations/individuals, even if they will probably say no. You have nothing to lose if they say no, and so much to gain if they say yes.”
Mandy wishes she had more help finding more resources that would directly help the people the rally was supporting. She was fortunate enough to be in contact with the Stand for Freedom group in Florida, which allowed her to know exactly what type of help they needed. As for the other causes, she was unable to find a lot of information regarding how Canadians can help without protesting in Tennessee.
Mandy would like to extend her gratitude to “all the people who helped me organize this event and supported me through it all.” These people are Linden Haubrick, who is the President of the LGBTTQ* Collective at BU, Al from Brandon Pride, Jess from the LGBTTQ* Collective, Mallory Johnson from the GWS Program and her best friend, (in Mandy’s words), Caitlin Baker from the GWS Program, Bryan Johnston, her wonderful partner, speakers Ryan Flannery and Leila Praznik, her supportive parents, and everyone who attended the rally and offered their support that day.
Please consider donating or showing other support for the students in Florida and the transgender individuals and drag performers in Tennessee.