Following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, high school students nationwide have organized and participated in protests against police brutality and racism.
For some students, their participation is a continuation of activism work they started in 2018 after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., or in 2019 during the worldwide protests for climate action. For others, it鈥檚 not only their first time speaking out, but it鈥檚 their first time organizing.
Education Week Video spoke with 16 high school students from across the country who are engaging with their communities.
鈥淚 know what motivated me was not seeing a lot of protests happening in Baton Rouge prior to all of the deaths that have been happening in the country,鈥� said Noah Hawkins, a 16-year-old student at Baton Rouge Magnet High School in Louisiana.
Other students emphasized the importance of making sure that this movement goes beyond a moment.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 just look at the death of George Floyd, the death of Breonna Taylor, and the death of Amaud Arbury and think that that happened on that date and therefore we move on,鈥� said Sofia Hidalgo, who graduated this spring from Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Md. 鈥淭he movement is against police brutality, it鈥檚 against systematic oppression, it鈥檚 against institutionalized racism and that doesn鈥檛 disappear when the protests end.鈥�
For students like Jenaan Ahmed, a newly-graduated senior from Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis, there鈥檚 also hope in the nationwide scale of the demonstrations.
鈥淚鈥檓 feeling a sense of global connectedness through all of this because every day, every hour, there鈥檚 a new city or a new town somewhere in the U.S. that鈥檚 protesting,鈥� Ahmed said. 鈥淪o it feels good to know that our struggle right now is not isolated and we are not alone.鈥�
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