From school children to immigration advocates, from universities to bowling alleys, people across Central Texas organized different events Friday to watch or react to Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration. Here are a few highlights:
South Austin schoolchildren take it all in
Eighth grade students at KIPP Austin Vista in South Austin watched the presidential inauguration Friday, connecting aspects of it to their study of the Constitution.
In requests to 15 Central Texas traditional public school districts in Travis, Williamson, Hays and Bastrop counties, and a few local charter schools in Austin, the eighth grade class was the only one that the American-Statesman could find that was showing the inauguration ceremony to students.
The students largely had questions about the attendees, their government roles and what former President Obama would do after leaving office.
Several students lamented with cries of “no,” as President Trump took the oath of office. Others said they were surprised he was elected.
Assistant Principal Adaugo Ogike-Love said she and social studies teacher Corey Jones discussed whether to show the ceremony to students but decided it was a solid learning experience.
“No matter how we feel about it, it’s education for the kids and we need to put it on and they need to see it,” Ogike-Love said.
— Melissa Taboada, American-Statesman
Georgetown supporters cheer Trump at bowling alley
People stood and cheered at a bowling alley in Georgetown on Friday after Donald Trump finished taking the oath of office to become the nation’s next president.
“This is a truly historic day to see the peaceful transition of power,” said Georgetown resident Glen Warren. He said that he and his wife, Melissa Warren, stood in the snow when they had gone to the second inauguration of George W. Bush in 2005.
They were part of an inaugural watch party at Mel’s Lonestar Lanes hosted by the Williamson County Republican party. More than 40 people came to the event in a sports bar with a huge television screen that covered half a wall inside the bowling alley on Austin Avenue.
Lesli Fitzpatrick, a Republican precinct chairwoman and a Round Rock attorney, said she was excited about the future with Trump as president. She said the taxes on her law business are too high.
“I’m hoping the taxes will be changing,” Fitzpatrick said. “As an American and a native Texan for 53 years, I’m delighted to have this opportunity to see history in action.”
Mike McFadden, who was wearing a red, white and blue tie-die T-shirt with “Trump” printed on it in huge letters, said he was glad Trump had talked about God and religion in his inaugural speech.
“I was glad to hear him bring it up,” McFadden said. “It’s all part of getting rid of the politically correct environment we have been living with.”
People sat at several tables at the event, clapping multiple times during Trump’s speech and cheering loudly when he criticized politicians who he said complained often but didn’t get anything done.
— Claire Osborn, American-Statesman staff
Immigration advocates offer advice for Trump era
Local immigration advocates told unauthorized immigrants Friday to hold off on applying to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, now that Donald Trump has been sworn in as president.
The education equity coordinator for the University Leadership Initiative, Maya Guevara, said that they have been taking this approach because of the program’s uncertain future.
Trump has not clarified what he will do with the program, which was instated by President Barack Obama in 2012.
The program gives qualifying young undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children limited the ability to legally work and go to school in the United States under temporary protection from deportation.
Immigrant advocacy groups do not want the information of new applicants to be available to the next administration. However, they have been telling those who already have DACA to reapply, said Guevara.
— Perla Arellano, Ahora Sí
Local conservative think tank hosts watch party
A packed house at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative Austin think tank, heartily applauded Trump’s speech.
“Here, here,” someone shouted to a line of Trump’s about the just and reasonable demands of righteous people.
“Yessir!” another audience member exclaimed when Trump declared, “America first.”
Lines about eradicating Islamic terrorism and total allegiance to the United States also won lusty applause.
When Trump said he was looking to the future, not the past, the camera settled on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and the audience burst into happy laughter.
— Asher Price, American-Statesman
Volunteers skip inauguration, pick up trash
Not all protests involved chanting and sign-toting. Dozens of Central Texans tried to do good Friday in lieu of celebrating the inauguration of a president they said they didn’t vote for.
Some of them showed up at 6 a.m. on the corner of 44th Street and Burnet Road to pick up trash as part of a series of volunteer events coordinated by the organization One20. The events, which took place in four cities across the country, were meant to give people an opportunity to do acts of service instead of watching the swearing in of Donald Trump.
The idea behind One20 came to Susanne Harrington, an Austin resident and Hillary Clinton supporter, as she tried to digest the results of the election – one she described as a loss of civility – and explained them to her 12-year-old son.
“I wondered how we should spend the day and decided to spend it and many days before and after just trying to show a better way to behave, to set a better example,” said Harrington, who helped start the organization. “It’s the little stuff that’s going to matter.”
The project is a nonpartisan effort, co-spearheaded by Jon Mertz of Dallas, a Republican.
— Julie Chang, American-Statesman
‘Twerk the Inauguration’ and other non-celebratory events
One group of UT students who oppose Trump decided to deal with their disappointment over the presidential outcome by organizing a “Twerk the Inauguration” workshop as an alternative to watching the inauguration.
During the early portions of the inauguration, 15 of them were attending the workshop, which was overseen by Omise’ke Tinsley, a professor of African-American diaspora studies.
“We wanted to make sure students had a space for self-care,” Omise’ke said.
At St. Edwards University, 38 students and faculty members gathered in a campus ballroom for a “Presidential Inauguration and Tribal Politics” round-table-style session.
The discussion was inspired by articles about whether the Democrats had focused too much on identity politics and missed potential class-based appeals, said organizer by Jack Musselman, the director of St. Ed’s Center for Ethics and Leadership.
It covered a gamut of concerns from a liberal perspective: that social media is not an inclusive medium, that Republicans have been more effective at framing themselves as champions of the working class than Democrats, that dislike for traditional political skills could lead not only to the ascension of governing novices such Trump on the right but candidates on the left such as Mark Zuckerberg.
— Marty Toohey, American-Statesman
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