It was days after the 2016 election when Joseph Weidknecht, a Trump supporter sporting a sign that read “Proud to Be Deplorable” and a “Make America Great Again” cap showed up at a march protesting the election of Donald Trump in Austin, Texas.
Amina Amdeen, a Muslim student at the University of Texas, was one of the marchers who came to the peaceful rally that day before part of the protest broke into violence.
Though they come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, they came to StoryCorps to remember a moment that day that unexpectedly brought them together.
We’re presenting this conversation through One Small Step, StoryCorps’ new national effort to encourage people to engage in a conversation with someone they may not agree with politically. Learn more and participate.
Top photo: Amina Amdeen and Joseph Weidknecht pose near the Texas State Capitol building, where the two initially met when an anti-Trump protest turned violent on November 13, 2016. Photo by Catalin Abagiu for StoryCorps.
Middle photo: Amina Amdeen speaks to a crowd at an anti-Trump protest on November 13, 2016 in Austin, Texas. Photo courtesy of Dave Creaney/American-Statesman.
Bottom Photo: Joseph Weidknecht holds a poster reading “Proud to Be Deplorable” at an anti-Trump protest on November 13, 2016 in Austin, Texas. Photo courtesy of Dave Creaney/American-Statesman.
Originally aired September 28, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.