The events include yoga, free massages and free food
Photos & Story by: Morgan Brizee
The gloomy, dark, wet and cold weather on Friday Jan. 20 was showing what most Humboldt State students were feeling on the inside after the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Throughout the day, HSU held events for students and the entire community to join in on to help lift spirits on a day that, for most people, was a depressing one. It started at 1 p.m. in the Kate Buchanan Room with free massages, cookies and brownies, yoga, and crafts.
Celeste Robertson is the Educational Opportunity Program Adviser and the coordinator of the Day of Solidarity events.
“I hope this will open up doors so people can talk and exchange ideas without getting angry, without trying to retaliate in anyway,” Robertson said. “This is going to hopefully relax people and get them in a joyful mood.”
The EOP was not the only program that took part in the event, Check It, HSU Dining Services, and Peer Health Educators were also at the event helping out and tabling. The event had tables for fun with bath salts, face masks and making your own buttons. Additionally there were tables to get your feelings out with letters of support and coloring.
Ani Glenn is a senior and critical race, gender and sexuality studies major who helped out at the event as a student assistant for Peer Health Educators at the letters of support table.
“We need to be taking care of ourselves right now and self care is extremely important especially during a time where a lot of people do feel threatened in many ways,” Glenn said. “It’s always really cool to be apart of these events and see the different types of people that come through.”
The common reason that people came to the first event was that they were trying to be uplifted and uplift others during a somber time while trying to keep their hopes high for the future. The blow-up ball pit at the event seemed to be something most students thought was fun. Students were throwing themselves in the pit and bringing out their inner child by throwing balls up in the air and rolling around.
“It[the Solidarity Day event] definitely lifts my spirits because I definitely was not looking forward to today,” Nicole Raisola, a senior sociology major said. “I am also trying to go to the Women’s March tomorrow as well.”
The waiting list to get a free massage was quick to fill up as that was one of the popular attractions at the event. During the event students sat in massage chairs to have their backs and necks worked on by professional masseuses.
The Solidarity Day event in the KBR brought smiles to students faces and distracted the attention away from a day that was grey for most. The event had free giveaways and attractions for anyone and everybody to join in on.
Alexis Arancbia, a senior and sociology major, was giving away free face masks from the Peer Health Educators.
“I feels awesome, I feel like it’s a really great thing to offer to students comfort wise,” Arancbia said. “It’s a good place for students to come if they’re feeling uncomfortable or sad today.”