For this month’s newsletter, I wanted to write about a topic that I think has been weighing heavily on a lot of people’s minds: the conflict in Minneapolis with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And I especially want to talk about the school walkout I had the opportunity to participate in.

On Friday morning, I woke up to see some posts on my phone about a school walkout in protest of ICE activity. I had no idea who had organized it or how many people had gotten the information for it. When I showed up at school, there was some talk of it, but I was still unsure of what exactly was going on. But at 1:30pm, instead of going to gym class, I started heading toward the doors where we were instructed to gather. My class was close to the door, and I ended up being in the first group of kids there. From where I was standing, I could see kids beginning to file out of classrooms. They streamed down the hall and out the building, where we walked the sidewalk toward Clairemont, eventually landing a spot on the bike path near the music rooms.

I’ve been to my fair share of protests, but I had never been to a protest with exclusively high schoolers (I don’t think most people have). But now I can say that I have.

It was cold that day, but the crowd was mostly full of kids wearing the sweater they came to school in, no mittens, no hats, no jackets. We were kept warm enough only by the indomitable spirit of teenagers missing the last few classes of the day and the combined body heat of the pack, I suppose, because it was freezing. The homemade signs were some of the most creative I had ever seen; full of references and sketches, taped to the backs of yardsticks and rulers. Lots had been handmade in study halls with any paper that could be scavenged and tubs of colored markers. Others had been printed off on computer paper just minutes before the walkout began . Some had been given to others by people who had stayed up making them the night before.

Standing in the clump of people, snow in my shoes and fingers freezing around the paper sign I had been handed on my way out the door, I finally had the chance to realize how incredibly proud of my school I was at that moment. There were over a hundred kids, maybe two hundred at the peak of the afternoon, all talking, discussing, raising their voices, holding their signs, faces and fingers growing red from the cold. Many like myself were still carrying their textbook-heavy backpacks. Snowdrifts were climbed, chants were started, cars honked in their agreement of our cause. We stayed out there for an hour and a half, from 1:30 to 3:00 when school ended.

Later that night when I watched the news with my family, I was excited to see that we had made one of the top stories. But when they described us as “dozens of students” who had decided to walk out, I couldn’t help but laugh. Dozens? There were hundreds of us.

This all comes down to something I write about often: young people in politics. We exist, and we care deeply. That evening, I’m sure there were plenty of kids doing work they had missed in class. The fact that so many were willing to step outside on a cold, January day because they felt that it was the right thing to do…it should give us hope, if anything. So when I hear people saying that our generation is “doomed” or similar remarks, I really wish I could show them something like this.

About the Writer:

Hi! I’m Kana Rasmussen. I’m a sophomore at Memorial High School and I would consider myself to be pretty politically active and progressive. I’m the co-president of the High School Democrats and I love running, writing, and playing a variety of instruments. I’m really excited to be running the club and writing for the Dems this year. We’re always welcoming new members and would LOVE to have you and your friends. Even if you’re not sure all of your values align, that’s completely okay: stop by and join us!

Reading, Writing & Resistance: Our High School ICE Protest