Trump win is 'worrisome,' Muslim leader says

The modest, brick Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church off 33rd Avenue North filled with the melodic voice of the Rev. Enoch Fuzz as he spread a message of hope.

The activist and church leader told the small crowd scattered among the padded royal blue pews on Wednesday that Donald Trump's presidency was not a cause for panic.

"I don't care who the president is," he said. "It doesn't matter who is in the White House."

Instead, he said, it was a time for people of color to be resilient, to get involved and to rally against hatred. Fuzz was one of many leaders in Nashville's minority community who urged residents to become an even more engaged part of the city's fabric after Trump's Wednesday morning win.

"There is no excuse not to be involved in your community," he said. "This is a time to turn it into something positive."

Fear creeps in

But, even as leaders preached hope, a deep sense of fear set in for some in Nashville's minority and immigrant communities. Few could shake the words against Muslims, immigrants and the black community that became hallmarks of Trump's campaign.

Throughout his march to the White House, Trump promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, pledged to build a wall along the Mexican border and called for a ban on Muslims entering the country. He also made a litany of comments deemed offensive to women and racial minorities.

On Wednesday afternoon, about 100 students from Fisk University and other schools quickly organized and poured into the streets of downtown Nashville to vent their anger and protest Trump's election, which student Justin Jones called "a referendum on hate, on bigotry."

For hours, the students led a march from the Capitol to Lower Broadway and then to the Interstate 40 junction on Charlotte Avenue, stopping to block traffic several times along the way. Police set up a rolling road block to escort the demonstrators through the heart of the city, and Jones hinted that they would be back for more protests.

"Donald Trump needs to repent from his racist, bigoted comments," Jones said. "But until then, we will continue doing this."

Another student, Nayirah Muhammad, gave voice to the question that was rippling through many communities Wednesday: Would Trump's incendiary words on the campaign trail be woven into the fabric of the federal government?

"I've been crying for the past 12 hours," said Muhammad, who is black and a Muslim. "I don't have children yet, but I can't raise my children like this."

According to Paul Galloway, executive director of the American Center for Outreach, an organization to empower Muslims to become more engaged in society, Muhammad is not alone.

"There is a huge fear that the election is an affirmation that they don’t accept us," Galloway said. "It is out there, and it is worrisome."

That fear has sent Galloway and others scrambling to find new ways to tell their stories and connect with their Trump-supporting neighbors.

"We hope to find new partners in getting out who we really are," he said. "The fear is real among many (about our community), no matter how misplaced it is, and we have to keep working on the problem."

How to celebrate Trump's election win? With humility.

Immigrant families, who were targeted heavily by the nation's next president, also are facing their futures with a new sense of dread, said Stephanie Teatro, co-executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

"But immigrant families are also resilient — and here to stay," Teatro said in an email. "Now more than ever we will work to build a movement that upholds our values of justice and dignity and fights for the promise of America. We will organize immigrants, refugees and their allies to fight to keep communities safe, to reject politics of fear and bigotry, and to strengthen our democracy."

Latino-community advocate Renata Soto, co-founder and executive director of Conexion Americas, said the result of the presidency doesn't change the work of the nonprofit.

"We now have a new president, a new Congress, and it is our responsibility to continue to be engaged, continue to be a voice for our dreams and our aspirations for our community, which are the same as any American," Soto said. "If anything, immigrants understand the face of adversity."

A way forward

Sara Johnson, a member of Corinthian Missionary Baptist who attended the Wednesday service, said she wasn't surprised by the results. But she said they offered a lesson for black voters on a way forward.

"People need to be a part of the solution," she said. The black community "didn't support (Clinton) like we supported Obama."

Fuzz, the pastor, also preached for the black community to become more involved, adding that black voter turnout was disappointingly low.

For those saying they want to flee the country, Fuzz said that's the wrong mentality.

"You are needed right here, right now," Fuzz told his congregation. "Everyone wants to go the easy route. If America is in trouble, this is the time to buckle down."

Reach Jason Gonzales at 615-259-8047 and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.

Election Night 2016

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