Don't Walk Away from Our Problems: School Walk-Outs

Upon going through the KQED slideshow, walkout after walkout showed up.

First was the Standing Against Unequal Schools of 1951, where black students protested, the NAACP took up the case against the school which was later involved in Brown v. Board of Education. So, one black female student helped pave the way to desegregation.

Then was the Chicago Freedom Day Boycott, where more than 200k Chicago public school students walked and marched out of class and into the streets to protest school segregation.

Following that was the East LA School Walkout, AKA the Chicano Blowouts. Thousands of Mexican American high school students walked out of class to protest, once again, subpar conditions.

And at the end of this particular timeline, the site describes the Black Lives Matter movement. Since the three women have co-founded the decentralized political movement following the cruel killing of Michael Brown, many walkouts have been organized to protest police brutality.

These walkouts made me think of my own experience with walkouts. It was the beginning of my senior year, when students organized to leave third period. Many youths did not feel as if their voices were heard, and as I was just a seventeen year old barely making the cut, it was like we were screaming into the wind with no one to hear.

It wasn't just my school - nationwide, students left their classrooms in attempt to have their voices heard.

And I believe that these protests are why Prop 18, which allows 17-year-olds to be able to vote in primary and special elections so long as they will turn 18 by the next general election, is on the California Ballot. This is just one step closer to allowing high school youths to having their voices heard. This would expand voting rights to the youth.

I'd like to focus on two of these protests, to analyze what was done, and how we can use these as lessons for today's political movements as youths have more and more resources to be heard.

So? What are the similarities and differences between the 2016 protest against Donald Trump's election and the Standing Against Unequal Schools of 1951 differ?

Standing Against Unequal Schools: One Outstanding Student Stands Up and Walks Out

Barbara Rose Johns, a student at Moton High School, lead the way for her overcrowded school. The school was falling apart, and this one model student organized a small group to strategize for months. Upon faking a phone call to the principal, he left campus and Barbara sent notes to bring everyone to the assembly room.

When arriving, Barbara was at the podium and asked the teachers to leave. Delivering a powerful speech, every student walked out of that building.

Spread Like Wildfire: A Two-Day Plan

On the other hand, the protests of 2016 happened overnight. Soon after the election concluded, I received a text about the walkout plan. In a matter of minutes, it reached the rest of my contacts. There was, of course, someone who started it, but it became decentralized as students passed around a microphone to speak on what they think.

The Impacts of Today

After the protest, Barbara Johns and other students contacted the NAACP, who agreed to help if they could use this as a fight for a segregated school. The Moton lawsuit was part of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, ordering schools to desegregate.

As stated earlier, post presidential protest there is Prop 18 on the California Ballot, would allow 17-year-olds to vote under certain circumstances. It is arguable that the 2016 protests led to this. It has been an issue since at least 2013. However, it could also be argued that the last election causing protests nationwide and major cities in California is the reason why this issue has caught so much attention.

But... Really... The Impacts of Today?

However, it's important to keep in mind that these victories come with a big asterisk. Schools are more segregated than in the 1960s. Legally, segregation has ended, but socioeconomic hierarchies that still exist today prevent true equal access to education.

Furthermore, just a vote on the ballot in one state is hardly a win for voting rights nationwide. We don't even have the results of the ballot just yet, and I have been unable to find a poll on public opinion on this.

This doesn't mean that these protests were ineffective though- it just means that more work needs to be done.

What Can We Learn?

These student protests put power in the hands of the youth. It reminds us that no matter what age, we aren't powerless. A single person and idea can leave a ripple of an effect.

Barbara was not alone when planning either. So, brainstorm with trusted allies and friends who care about the same issues that you do.

And use social media and digital technology to your advantage! It didn't take any thinking on my part when I sent a mass text to everyone on my contacts that still attended my high school. It also didn't take long to copy and paste that same message and share it on FaceBook or Instagram.

I myself actually did a bit of organization post the 2016 election.

I asked students, teachers, and many others to sign paper slips about what they care for, what they fight for, and what they would act for. I entered classrooms and got to school early every day and spent my lunches and homeroom period to ask more students and teachers. Afterwards, I hung it up all over the school with the help of some friends.

Though it didn't spark changed, my hope was that it would inspire others. And though I am proud that I did what I did, I know that there is so much more that can be done.

So, attend protests and marches! Sign petitions! Complacency and inaction are what allow unjust acts to happen. And, maybe spread a little bit of hope and joy while you're at it.

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Interact with me!

• I left out quite a few other resources to partake in activism, many of which really took off in June after the killing of George Floyd. What forms of protest, activism, or education of the public have you seen?

• What has your protest experience been like? Was there one main face to the protest, or was it highly decentralized?

• Leave a critique on my post! I have much to learn and would love to hear other's opinions on my post as well. There is much left to learn :)