The members of the Tuscaloosa City Council and Mayor Maddox reaffirmed their support of foreign students in the Tuscaloosa community with a public proclamation during a city council meeting on Tuesday night.

“Therefore, the city of Tuscaloosa celebrates foreign visitors, students and investors and all people who live, work and study in our community,” Mayor Maddox stated, reading the proclamation aloud during the meeting.

It was signed by the mayor and each member of the city council. The proclamation confirmed that the council supports foreign students at The University of Alabama, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College. Also mentioned in the proclamation were the numerous international companies who create jobs and a higher quality of life for the citizens of Tuscaloosa.

The proclamation came at the request of James Herndon, a student pursuing his Ph.D in economics at The University of Alabama. Herndon approached the city council with the request at last week’s meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Herndon said Councilor Cynthia Almond championed the proclamation after the request was made.

For Herndon, the decision to ask the council to make a proclamation was inspired by the relationships he has formed with foreign students who attend The University of Alabama. While working on his Ph.D, Herndon has befriended many foreign students from various countries who are working towards the same goal. Herndon saw how unsettled these students were in wake of President Trump’s recent executive order dealing with immigration, and he wanted to assure them that the city of Tuscaloosa supports them in their quest to receive a quality education.

“I see how hard they work. We’ve got a guy from Iran in my year in finance who is amazing and the thought of him not being able to finish his Ph.D. struck me as so unfair,” Herndon said. “There’s not a whole lot I can do to change the president and everyone else, but with this we can tell foreign students that they are valued.”