There was a lot to say about the walk out that occurred on Friday January 30th as many other schools were doing the same. Some community members were in support, as reflected in the post below, and some community members were outraged. I wanted to hear the perspective of the students who were organizing the protest. Below is the response:
“When the idea for a walkout protesting ICE first came about, I was all the way across the country in Ithaca, New York, flying back from a college audition. My flight had already been delayed by a day and a half, and I was desperate to get home. Then my good friend and fellow student activist, Miles, texted me—and I immediately knew this week was going to be insane.
Make no mistake: I am a rule follower above all else. I am a straight-A student (except for freshman-year accelerated biology—my only B+, which I still think about all the time), and I have literally never been grounded. I hate disappointing people more than anything, so the idea of organizing a walkout terrified me. I didn’t want to do something that could end up on my permanent record. As those fears built, I thought back to AP Government and Politics, where we learned about the First Amendment.
Freedom of speech applies to all people, regardless of age.
That is a sentence I repeated close to a hundred times this past week when peers came to me afraid of possible repercussions for walking out. Let it be known: I went about this the right way. I met with the principal and superintendent on Wednesday morning, two days before the protest, and emailed the chief of police that night to inform him of our exact route and timing. I created a group chat with the main student organizers and made sure everyone felt heard and respected.
I know many people will believe what they want to believe about our protest, but I want to clear a few things up. No, teachers did not organize it—the entire event was student-led. No, we did not “force” anyone to participate. Over 600 high school students chose not to walk out, and they are not being judged for that. And my personal favorite: no, I am not a “groomer” or a “pedophile.” I turned eighteen in November, I am still in high school, and I believe my supporters can speak to my character.
I was shocked by the level of support our protest received. A group of mothers followed us the entire way, providing hot chocolate, water, snacks, blankets, and hand warmers, all supplied through collected donations. Community members marched alongside us. A local church opened its doors as snow poured down so students could warm up and use the bathroom. Middle schoolers bravely joined us. We were covered by two news stations, Telemundo and TMJ4. In the days leading up to the walkout, people asked how many students I expected to attend. I usually said 50—and even that felt like wishful thinking. I would have marched even if it were just a small group of my theater friends. Imagine my surprise when the count exceeded 300.
The most common belief among those who opposed our walkout was that we “didn’t know what we were talking about,” which I find to be the weakest argument of all. We knew exactly what we were protesting. We were calling for an end to ICE’s reign of terror. Just because past generations may have felt disconnected from politics as teenagers does not give them the right to insult our intelligence. In an era where nearly every teen has a phone and social media, we are more informed and connected than ever. We see what is happening, and we have the right to speak out.
We left school at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, January 30, and met outside the tennis courts on 15th Avenue. Before we began, I laid out several ground rules using a megaphone:
- Stay on the sidewalk
- No swearing, middle fingers, or inappropriate behavior—we are peaceful
- Be respectful to all community members, whether they support us or not
- If you are dangerously cold, let someone know immediately
Once the march began, we walked along the parkway next to the high school, turned onto Oak Street, and then headed down North Chicago Avenue. Our destination was the corner of North Chicago and Pine, where we spread out along every visible stretch of sidewalk.
The protest lasted about two hours, until the school day ended. We chanted and held signs in 15-degree weather. At one point, the snow fell so hard that my once-multicolored scarf turned completely white. Still, I barely felt the cold. How could I, when the energy was so electric?
Our student organizers felt the same. “It felt very inspiring and uniting to see so many of my peers from such different walks of life coming together for this cause,” said Suzy, a junior.
Miles, who came up with the idea at 10:20 a.m. on Monday morning, expected “nobody but a few close friends to participate.” He shared, “It felt like, for the first time in my life, I truly had a voice.”
Addyson, a freshman, loved walking with a group of students “who shared the same passions and beliefs.” She said, “We advocated for the rights of human beings while staying genuine.”
As students, we are often told that we have a voice—only to be dismissed when we actually use it. I am not claiming that, at eighteen, I know more than someone with sixty years of life experience. But I do know something. In this case, I knew that what ICE is doing in Minneapolis and across the United States is wrong.
We were speaking up for our neighbors, our friends, and our families. We were speaking up for people across the country who may have come here illegally, but who still deserve a path to citizenship. We were speaking up for human beings.
Immigrants are not aliens. They are not “illegals.” They are not animals. They are people—human beings, just like everyone else. They do not deserve hatred fueled by blatant racism.
That is why we marched.
And for once, we were heard.”
Written by Shelby Brooks- one of the organizers of the walkout
South Milwaukee Blog 