Dos Pueblos High School students walked out of class on Tuesday, November 12, with a mission: speaking out about election results. “We cannot vote, but decisions that are made impact us,” said student co-organizer Isabel Vasquez. It was not an anti-Trump protest, but a venting of frustrations, regarding topics such as reproductive rights, immigration, and education.
They walked to Evergreen Park and held speeches. “I now not only have to worry about doing good in school…now I have to think about whether I will even have rights over my own body,” Vasquez said.
Eight years ago, local high school students held similar walkouts in response to Donald Trump becoming the president-elect. And those fears, and the courage to speak out about how they feel, have not changed in this new generation.
Parents and City Councilmember Alejandra Gutierrez joined the roughly 40 students involved in the walkout.
“These are going to be the future generations of leaders, and for you to be active today is very important,” Gutierrez said. “You set the tone for your younger siblings, but also [reminded] adults that when they’re making policy, they need to think of you.”
