Dozens of Philadelphia college students walked out of their lecture rooms Friday protesting the 2024 presidential election outcomes and the impression President-elect Donald Trump may have on local weather change insurance policies.
Nonetheless, they stated, the individuals have spoken.
“We aren’t attempting to overturn an election. We aren’t storming the Capitol, however we’re saying that our rights matter,” stated Clara Hensley, 17, a senior at Science Management Academy. “We’re saying that we should have secure colleges. We should have a future. As a result of there’s solely six years left to resolve a local weather disaster earlier than it will get too far.”
The walkout was a part of a nationwide effort organized by the Dawn Motion — an advocacy group that promotes insurance policies to gradual local weather change — and led by native scholar activists.
Younger individuals in deep blue Philly have been grappling with President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive win in Pennsylvania and what it’ll imply for the following 4 years.
Aster Chau, 17, from the Academy at Palumbo organized her classmates to stroll out on Friday.
“We aren’t alone. Throughout the nation, there are different colleges who simply walked out with you and are taking motion. We’re scared for our futures, and right now, it’s about uplifting the youth,” Chau stated, talking to her associates and classmates at Metropolis Corridor. “We are going to create energy and use this second of concern, uncertainty, anger, and all of it to channel momentum.”
Chau stated she and her friends are wanting particularly at Trump’s training insurance policies and the way they’ll impression her college.
“Our colleges are already underfunded and struggling and our extracurricular actions don’t get sufficient funding anymore,” she instructed Chalkbeat.
Trump and his marketing campaign surrogates have made sweeping pledges to vary the nation’s instructional programs together with dismantling the U.S. Division of Training, increasing college selection, rolling again some protections for LGBTQ college students, and deporting thousands and thousands of undocumented immigrants.
College students on Friday instructed Chalkbeat they have been strolling out of their courses in protest of Trump’s statements about abortion and reproductive care, in addition to his immigration stances that some college students stated threaten their households and communities.
Although they rallied and arranged their friends forward of the election, youth voter turnout nationally was decrease in 2024 than it was in 2020 total, in accordance with knowledge evaluation from the Tufts College Middle for Data and Analysis on Civic Studying and Engagement (CIRCLE).
In Pennsylvania, voters ages 18-29 most popular Harris (54%) over Trump (45%) in accordance with CIRCLE knowledge.
Chau stated regardless of the final result, she and her friends will proceed to advocate for causes they consider in.
“Youth will all the time construct energy, and we’ll all the time combat for the adjustments we need to see,” Chau stated. “Whatever the outcomes of the election, we’re going to maintain preventing, and we’re going to maintain our hopes up, as a result of that’s what’s retaining us going.”
Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.
