Atlanta University Center Students March to State Capitol in Protest of ICE Policies

Powerful display of nonviolent activism by students from Clark Atlanta, Morris Brown, Morehouse, and Spelman Colleges.

Jan. 31, 2026 at 4:55pm

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Dozens of students from the Atlanta University Center, including Clark Atlanta University, Morris Brown College, Morehouse College, and Spelman College, marched to the Georgia State Capitol on Saturday, January 31, 2026, in a nonviolent protest against the country's immigration policies and state-sanctioned violence. The march was organized by three student activists and supported by campus security and the Atlanta Police Department.

Why it matters

The march highlights the ongoing activism and social justice efforts by students at the historically Black colleges and universities that make up the Atlanta University Center. As centers of Black education and community, the AUC schools have long been at the forefront of civil rights and political movements, and this latest protest continues that tradition of using collective student power to advocate for change.

The details

The march began with around a dozen students gathering at the Robert W. Woodruff Library pavilion, but quickly grew to 50-60 participants as more students joined. Student organizers Meyunna Montgomery, A'Nija Hughley, and Myanna Garrison led the march, which proceeded from the AUC to the Georgia State Capitol and back. Despite snowy weather, the march was peaceful and completed on schedule, with campus security and Atlanta police providing a security detail.

  • The march took place on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
  • The march began around 12:00 PM from the Robert W. Woodruff Library pavilion.

The players

Meyunna Montgomery

A student organizer and president of the Accountability Initiative, an on-campus organization at the Atlanta University Center.

A'Nija Hughley

A student organizer from St. Louis, Missouri who attends school at the Atlanta University Center.

Myanna Garrison

The third student organizer involved in planning the march, from Baltimore, Maryland.

Spelman College Public Safety Chief Moses Purdue

Addressed the students before the march began.

Adeed Boreden

A Morehouse College student from Chicago who participated in the march, saying "There is no way I go to Morehouse, and I'm not participating in this march. No way."

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What they’re saying

“I have been protesting my whole life. As a woman, as a Black woman, as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I'm being targeted every single day.”

— Meyunna Montgomery, Student Organizer and President of the Accountability Initiative

“I want to do this. I feel like it's a part of our role to be a part of these movements.”

— A'Nija Hughley, Student Organizer

“As a part of the Atlanta University Center, we're founded in activism. It's contradictory to not be a part of movements like this. This is what you signed up for.”

— Myanna Garrison, Student Organizer

“There is no way I go to Morehouse, and I'm not participating in this march. No way.”

— Adeed Boreden, Morehouse College Student

What’s next

The student organizers plan to continue advocating for policy changes and raising awareness about immigration issues and state-sanctioned violence through further protests and activism on their campuses and in the broader Atlanta community.

The takeaway

The march by Atlanta University Center students demonstrates the power of collective student activism in driving social and political change. As centers of Black education and community, the AUC schools have a long history of using their voices and platforms to fight for justice, and this latest protest upholds that tradition.