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Read the press release here.

'Jackson Heights Kids for Social Justice' Hope for Change Through Bake Sale

By Katie Honan | November 16, 2016 8:41am
 The grass-roots organization Jackson Heights Kids for Social Justice is raising money for local immigrant groups and wants to continue working throughout the Trump administration. From left, Tessa Kleinmuntz, Liana Williams, Aaliyah Scott, Riley Hill, Ben Warner, Leo Kettells, Olivia Callahan, Maya Arau, and Thomas Leahy.
The grass-roots organization Jackson Heights Kids for Social Justice is raising money for local immigrant groups and wants to continue working throughout the Trump administration. From left, Tessa Kleinmuntz, Liana Williams, Aaliyah Scott, Riley Hill, Ben Warner, Leo Kettells, Olivia Callahan, Maya Arau, and Thomas Leahy.
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

JACKSON HEIGHTS — A group of kids upset by last week's election results are channeling their fears and joining forces with a new organization.

Their first event will be a bake sale this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Travers Park, but it's just the start for Jackson Heights Kids for Social Justice.

"I know a lot of people are going to be affected by what Trump's going to do so I thought it would be important to help," Tessa Kleinmuntz, 10, said.

She and other kids, ranging from 8 to 14, gathered on a recent evening to discuss the real fears they have over President-elect Donald Trump — from climate change risks to a Muslim registry.

Ben Warner, 11, said he was too sick to go to school the day after Election Day.

His mom, Courtney Birch, is one of the lead parent organizers of the group and the "United Cakes" bake sale, which is donating proceeds of the sale to New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) and Chhaya CDC.

"[Ben's] been hearing what we've been talking about over the past year or so, and we've tried to talk about our values, and how we believe in people's rights to have whatever religion they want, and make choices for their lives the way they want," she said.

"He has Muslim friends, and when the talk first started about Muslim registry, and how — it just felt all of a sudden very, very dangerous for people that we knew."

Trump's potential plans to deport up to 3 million undocumented immigrants during his administration struck a chord in diverse Jackson Heights, which has long been a haven for immigrants.

"I think my biggest concern is what he thinks he's trying to do — deportation and building the wall," Aaliyah Scott, 14, said. 

Riley Hill, 11, said his effect on the world will be major. 

"He doesn't believe in climate change and that is actually happening," she said.

At the weekend bake sale, the focus will go beyond cupcakes and brownies. There will be information tables on how families can get involved, and an advocacy table about immigration issues.

There will also be a letter-writing table for kids to send a message to the future president — an idea that came from Leo Kettells, 8, who wants to tell Trump "you better lighten up."

"I think my worst fear for Donald Trump is he does do these really bad things, like build a wall," he said.

"I wouldn't want my friends to move away from this place because it's been their home for a very long time."

In the future, the kids and their parents hope to continue their advocacy work through other fundraisers and events. And they're hopeful the small act of defiance, in the form of baked goods, can help spread across the country.

"I think that small organizations like this can help, if enough of these keep happening we might actually be able to protect millions of immigrants if this idea catches on," Maya Arau, 11, said.

"I think if Trump does do the stuff he's going to do then this world is going to change forever," Liana Williams, 10, said.

"If we continue to do this, we will multiply."