On Tuesday, more than 50 Dos Pueblos High School students walked from DPHS to Girsh Park to participate in the nationwide Free America Walkout. The walkout was organized by Insharah Zeb (12), president of the Ethnic Studies Now club, to protest the Trump Administration, along with the recent increase in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity near schools.
“This walkout means that a lot of people are seeing things for what they really are, and it’s a clear sign of community and solidarity, and I think that’s really important to have,” Zeb said. “The Trump Administration and all ignorance fears education, and DP has a really bright, really educated community that knows their rights, and they know what’s right and how to stand up for that.”
According to Zeb the date of the walkout was “symbolic,” coinciding with the date of President Trump’s inauguration. Additionally, she shared that the walkout “encourages continued activism” and raises awareness of students’ rights.
“We were, as a club, really concerned about the state of things, and we were looking for an opening to see how we could bring something together,” Zeb said. “An organized movement to communicate how we as a school don’t stand for these things, and DPHS had a long history of walkouts.”
At Girsh Park, the Ethnic Studies Now club introduced Santa Barbara graduate student guest speakers who represented the organizations Unión del Barrio and ICE Out of 805. Their speeches focused on activism and recent court rulings regarding ICE.
“This is your community, this is what it looks like, this is what those puertos look like now,” guest speaker Fabian Pavón said. “Immigration Enforcement: Since the federal immigration law of 1924, ICE has always been about race.”
Following the guest speakers, several DPHS students spoke out against ICE and the Trump administration.
“We cannot keep living in fear of ICE; we need to organize and connect and show that our community is here and we are strong,” Milena Rodriguez (12) said during a speech. “We will not let them take away our neighbors, our friends, our family, and anyone else, because this is our town, this is our city, this is our United States of America, and we will protect our citizens.”
Nicola Bailey (12) participated in the walkout and said she attended to protest the current presidential administration.
“I participated in this walkout to overall, just protest Trump’s administration and ICE, what ICE is doing to the country and the community is f–cked,” Bailey said. “It is our responsibility as people who believe in rights and believe in the Constitution, and to care for the people around us and surrounding us.”
Zeb said that she is hoping the walkout showed DPHS students a “community to turn to” and encourages students to attend Ethnic Studies Now club meetings on Tuesdays at lunch in H-3.
“It’s really great that everyone is able to recognize the injustice that’s happening and stand up against it, even if they’re not personally impacted,” Zeb said. “I do truly think that no one is free until everyone’s free, because if they’re coming for Hispanic people’s rights today, it’ll be someone else the next day, and then someone else the next day, and eventually we’ll just be living under fascism completely.”
