On March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the Sagaing Region of Myanmar (formerly Burma) devastating the region and its communities. In response to the disaster, the Myanmar Student Union (MSU) of Skyline College hosted a fundraising event on Monday, April 14. The event, in conjunction with the celebration of Thingyan, or Myanmar New Year, was held in the quad on campus to support the earthquake victims.
Students, faculty, and community members were invited to celebrate the food, music, and culture of Myanmar. The event hosted tables, run by different communities — to spread awareness and information — as well as share food and drink. Additionally, there were cultural performances given by students of Skyline, including songs of reflection, instrumental pieces, and advocacy chants for the audience to join.
Members of the Anakbayan Daly City, who wished to remain anonymous for safety purposes, attended the fundraising event to show their support.
“We are here in solidarity with our Burmese brothers and sisters, who are facing government neglect, government suppression, and military repression,” one of the anonymous members said. “We just want to support them as much as we can.”
The anonymous member emphasized their mission to call out the United States military and have its intervention moved out of the Philippines. They also commented on the Trump administration’s legal actions taken toward the immigrant community.
“There have been fascist attacks on migrants and [they have been] targeting those who immigrated and live here legally,” they said.
On their table were flyers and cards with information about their purpose and mission, the rights of migrant students, and information regarding a community response line.
On top of the information provided to all students and community members in attendance, there were tables of mental health resources that students could take advantage of.
Full-time personal counselor at Skyline, Perry Chen, ran one of the tables. On his table were Know Your Rights cards, along with TimelyCare cards, which would provide students with on-call mental healthcare professionals with one code scan or phone call.
“People are being impacted by the earthquake and by a lot of different political events happening in Myanmar,” Chen said.
Chen said that there are different ways in which people are impacted by disasters like this earthquake; there are also complicated feelings that come up for people due to current political affairs.
“The Myanmar Student Union really wanted students to know that there is professional support for when they need it,” Chen said.
