Earlier this week, hundreds of students across Spokane walked out of class in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) agents’ mistreatment of immigrants and the killing of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The organizing group — Spokane Students for Human Decency (SSHD) — which formed just over a week ago in response to the news of Good’s death, says that over 1,200 students participated in coordinated walkouts across six schools:
- Lewis and Clark High School (LCHS)
- North Central High School
- Ferris High School
- Saint George’s School
- Mt. Spokane High School
- Gonzaga Preparatory Academy*
Reporter Erin Sellers and I went to LCHS, the school where the walkout idea originated, to witness hundreds of students participate. As we walked down the sidewalk and recorded audio of students chanting, I felt hope for our community — because even with the daily onslaught of horrible news, these teenagers are fighting for a better future for us all.
Here’s what I saw:
They’re building community, in and out of the school
Ava Swigart, a senior at LCHS, said the protest idea was born just five days earlier at a lunch table after she and other students saw the headlines emerging from Minneapolis. She looped in other LCHS students, and the group quickly grew, with organizing spreading across multiple schools in the city.
Students held multiple meetings over the weekend to discuss logistics, coordinate their message, and understand the consequences they might face. They discussed free speech policies with school district administration, and outlined the repercussions they were and weren’t willing to face — since the walkout was during a class period, the severity of discipline was dependent on whether students stayed on school grounds or not.
On the day of the event, students from across the schools stayed in contact through a group chat, checking on each others’ safety.
The students built connections in the broader Spokane community.
SSHD invited Feast World Kitchen to join them at LC. Although they couldn’t bring outside food because of school policy, Swigart said, Feast World Kitchen still showed up to connect with the students and posted a message of support on their Facebook:
Local organizers and community members showed up in solidarity, too, holding signs with messages like “I’m so proud of you,” and chanting alongside the students.
They’re keeping up the momentum
As an organizer and podcast producer, I know that follow up after any action is important: it keeps the momentum going and gives people more ways to get involved.
At the LC event, students were encouraged to vote and, if they’re not old enough yet, they were encouraged to sign up for the Future Voter Program.
This program allows 16 and 17 year olds to be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18. For those who turn 18 between the August Primary and the November General Election, it allows them to vote in the primary.
The day after the walkout, the SSHD Instagram account, which has now grown to over 1,200 followers, posted next steps for students to take, like registering to vote, volunteering at organizations like Thrive International, Barton School, Manzanita House or Feast World Kitchen, contacting their legislative representatives, participating in the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane’s Young Activist Leaders Program and using their dollars to support local immigrant-owned businesses.
They’re engaging politically and showing solidarity
And finally, these kids are becoming politically engaged and our community is supporting them.
I knew nothing about activism when I moved to Spokane, but I felt a sense of urgency during the 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd and I wanted to get involved. I met so many people – many of whom are organizers – who taught me what it means to show solidarity and met me where I was at.
They made me feel welcome and understood. They still do.
And the same local organizers who taught me what it means to be politically engaged and show solidarity are doing the same for these students.
That support is what gives me hope.
When I moved here, I was a high school student just like Swigart, and originally, I didn’t plan on staying.
But watching Spokane grow, seeing how organizers younger than me are acting on their values and building the community they want to see, that’s what makes me stay.
*NOTE: While the student organizing group worked with Gonzaga Preparatory students, the school’s spokesperson Gina Pinnock said in an email to RANGE that there was not “an organized walkout,” on their campus, but rather, “four students briefly left class independently.”
“The students were addressed in accordance with school expectations,” wrote Derek Duchesne, the principal. “Admin used the moment to talk with the students about how supporting a cause often involves responsibility and personal sacrifice.”
If you’re as moved as I am and want to hear from the students themselves, take a listen to this week’s Free RANGE episode. Find it here.
