More than 400 San Jose residents and Mayor Sam Liccardo joined organizers Elizabeth and Mary Clare Bernal in a peaceful “Love Trumps Hate” march on Nov. 27 following the presidential election.
San Jose, the tenth-largest city in the United States by population, is a minority-majority city, meaning that one or more ethnic minorities make up the majority of the population.
In Santa Clara County, home of San Jose, now-President-elect Donald Trump received only about 21 percent of the vote, compared to rival Hillary Clinton, who received more than 73 percent of the county’s votes.
Elizabeth Bernal, 23, said that she decided to help organize the event after she felt compelled to take a stand against what she described as the hateful rhetoric used by Trump throughout his campaign.
“People weren’t coming out to contest a presidential election but rather to spread a message of love and hope to the community,” Bernal said.
Mayor Liccardo, who cheered on residents as they walked through the downtown area of the city, said that he supported the message of the march.
“It’s been a really tough time for tens of thousands of our community members. It’s a time when we see so much national division. People are really yearning for community spiritedness that is rising from grassroots. I hope that we are able to provide both in word and in deed a strong antidote to the acrimony that has affected our political atmosphere – one that’s focused on bringing our community together to help one another and support each other,” Liccardo said in an interview.
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