Former Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., said immigrants need to assimilate and discussed why he thinks multiculturalism is divisive during a speech to an audience comprised mostly of protesters in Ward 1 Tuesday night.
The protesters wore black and displayed signs that read "America is Multicultural" in multiple languages. Tancredo recognized their presence and said he preferred speaking to an audience with diverse opinions.
"I would rather speak to this audience than one that is made up entirely of people who agree," he said. "This is far more challenging and it is far more important, I think, from the standpoint of the intellectual atmosphere of this campus."
Tancredo, who drew a crowd that filled the room and lined the lecture room's walls, discussed his views on immigration and what he called the "cult of multiculturalism" - the desire to emphasize differences among Americans. Immigrants should assimilate into American society and abandon their political ties to their home country, he said.
"It doesn't matter from where you come, that's of no consequence, as long as when you are here, you are willing to adapt to this culture," Tancredo said.
Learning English is an essential part of assimilation, he said.
"It doesn't matter where we're from, it doesn't matter what the color of our skin is, we have a connection because we speak the same language," Tancredo said.
The protesters had initially planned to remain silent through Tancredo's speech but occasional giggles and side comments could be heard throughout the room.
When he was asked if the Pilgrims should have assimilated into Native American culture, many audience members applauded and cheered.
Travis Ballie, one of the protest organizers and a member of AU Students for Choice, said that, as a whole, the opposition was successful.
"Multiculturalism is as strong as ever, as you can see from the turnout," he said. "What a resounding success."
Tancredo's speech was provocative and helped promote the protestors' cause, said Ballie, a junior in the School of International Service and Kogod School of Business.
"I would like to personally thank Tom Tancredo," he said. "I think he was such an amazing ally tonight. He really got our message across that his rhetoric is very inflammatory and very insensitive."
Lydia Mesekale, a sophomore in SIS and one of the protestors, said she thought Tancredo was less incendiary than he had been in previous speeches and interviews.
"I think he definitely watered down his rhetoric so he wouldn't seem so offensive," she said.
Tancredo came to campus with funds from the conservative Leadership Institute's Realizing Our Conservative Knowledge on American Campuses Grant, according to Amanda Patino, vice president of AU's chapter of Youth for Western Civilization.
Youth for Western Civilization is a national conservative organization that seeks to encourage pride in Western heritage and civilization, according to the group's Facebook page. Tancredo is the national chairman of the organization.
"It accomplished what we brought him here to do, which was to share a different viewpoint than the majority of people at American have," said Patino, a freshman in SIS.
She said she was impressed with the protesters' conduct despite a few comments from the front rows.
"On the whole I was very proud of our campus for being fairly respectful," Patino said.
The protesters held open meetings with the student body and Public Safety earlier in the week to coordinate action and to enforce the idea of a "peaceful opposition." Before the event, the protest's five co-coordinators handed out fliers to the waiting students that listed the campus protest policies and reminded them to be respectful.
"One of the goals we hope to get out is we definitely hope that this will be the energy moving forward for constructive dialogue," Ballie said before the event.
Protesters assembled to raise concern about some of Tancredo's viewpoints while also respecting the Youth for Western Civilization group's right to free speech and their right to bring a speaker to campus, he said.
"If you silence them, you silence us," said Lorenley Baez, the assistant director of Multicultural Affairs.
She said she and Tancredo have differing opinions, yet she does not want students to act in a way that will make the former congressman fell unwelcome at AU, because he is welcome.
The protesters aimed to avoid an incident similar to the clash with officials after then-White House aide Karl Rove spoke in April 2007, when 16 students blocked Rove's car from leaving campus by lying on the ground and pounding the car windows, The Eagle previously reported.
Before the Tancredo protest, Vinny Damaceno, one of the co-coordinators, said he worried the event would get out of hand and stressed that everyone was there as an individual, not as a representative of a group.
"I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit worried," said Damaceno, a sophomore in SIS. "There's a large group already and it's not even 9:15."
Only a few emotional exchanges took place after the protest, and no violence was reported between the opposing groups.
If a conflict had broken out, Youth for Western Civilization could have profited, said Kevin Deanna, the chapter president and national founder of the organization.
"If people do try to start something then we'll get it on tape and Youth for Western Civilization will raise $20,000," Deanna said. "It's because people in this country are sick of the double standards and sick of the poor excuse of education that you see at American colleges today; and I think if you show them - look, this is the situation on a college campus - then they'll react to it."
Tancredo addressed the need for change in his answer to a question on what students could do to solve the problem of illegal immigration when a Democratic Congress and president are currently leading the nation.
"If you have a desire to do something about this, and if you are concerned about it, think globally, act locally," Tancredo said. "You can have significant impact."
You can reach these staff writers at news@theeagleonline.com.