On Election Day, a Baylor University student named Natasha Nkhama told the story of a racist attack that happened while she was walking to class. Her friend, Jaileene Maite, posted it to her Twitter account, and the story has since gone viral.
In the video, Nkhama described how she was walking to class when a male student “went out of his way to bump into [her] and shove [her] off the sidewalk.” The student also told her, “No n*****s allowed on the sidewalk.”
this is my friend Natasha, and this happened today 11/9 at @Baylor. pic.twitter.com/bm64xyc9LZ
— Jaileene Maite (@ijaileene) November 9, 2016
Another male student then stuck up for her, saying, “Dude, what are you doing? That’s not cool.”
“Dude, like what… I’m just trying to make America great again,” the student then replied.
After the story made the rounds on social media, it inspired the hashtag #IWalkWithNatasha as, on Friday, hundreds of students gathered so that they could walk with Nkhama to her classes not only to keep her safe but to show solidarity.
“I just wanted to thank everyone for being here,” an emotional Nkhama said as she addressed the crowd. “I want everyone who sees this to know that Baylor is a campus of love.”
“To the gentleman who said those words, I’m praying for you and I love you…” Nkhama added. “And everyone here loves you, and we just want to see the world be a better place.”
This crowd at @Baylor is crazy large for #IWalkWithNatasha pic.twitter.com/bhPMRDWDba
— Cassie L. Smith (@SmithCassie) November 11, 2016
Natasha just came out. pic.twitter.com/gj8Uca2WZD
— Cassie L. Smith (@SmithCassie) November 11, 2016