Activism At West Campus

Opinion Editor & Senior Writer

Alyna Lam

Students have started preparing for the peaceful walkout on February 28th, 2025, this Friday as of today. Students are walking out against the policies that the Trump administration has put forth regarding immigration and undocumented citizens. The youth are exercising their freedom of speech and using their voices at both West Campus and Hiram Johnson. 

This was the day the scheduled poster-making for the walkout was held in Rm.12 in West Campus. People made posters with slogans such as “No one is illegal on stolen land” or “We are all immigrants”; many people took inspiration from past walkouts such as the Chicano Blowouts or recent local protests. 

An organizer for the poster making gives us a word on how this event could help this cause. “As an organizer for poster making, I believe it not only brings awareness to our cause but also makes sure that it’s as easy as possible to support. I believe that you shouldn’t have to go out of your way just to represent what you believe in. If, as a student, I can help my community, then I truly can’t see why not. This is all why I think coming together can help the cause but overall increase the number of people going to these movements and knowing that this is not just to skip school but also because we care about what we are speaking out about.” She brings up an important point. This walkout is not an opportunity for kids to skip school, it is about bringing awareness about going against the policies that rip families apart and affect the children in our school. 

An anonymous attendee of the poster-making replies to the question “What do you think about the youth rallying, and their awareness of their effect on politics?” with, “It shows that even though we’re young and we’re not adults, it shows that we have voices too and that we, and our future, are being affected by this.” Yes, the youth is aware of how the current political state of the world and how it can affect our futures, standing up right now is the best thing we can do. 

Another anonymous student in the poster-making replies to a question regarding the effectiveness of walking out, saying, “I think it is (effective) because even if people are like “This isn’t going to change his mind”, it’s not directly for Trump only, it’s for others to see that they’re not alone and they can do the same thing with us.” Another student adds, “This walkout specifically won’t make a difference but all the walkouts together in Sac, CA, and the US send a very clear message to the government and put it under pressure to change its approach towards immigration.” So truly, even if one doubts the effect that this walkout might have, consider how it adds to the thousands of protests happening around the world for the future of America. Our influence may seem miniscule but it goes beyond what we can comprehend. 

The P In “Protest” Is For Peaceful

It is spread across every platform that you can get information on about this walkout that this is a PEACEFUL protest. Absolutely NO violence will be tolerated by staff and students because violence does not push this agenda. In fact, violence alienates the people protesting, and as a whole, makes the movement seem like it is coming from a place of aggression rather than from compassion. Yes, people may have harsh feelings or deep, personal connections to this matter but we are still students and cannot use this as an outlet for any time of anger. 

A student talks about the potential risks that may come on Friday with, “Yes, I am (aware), I’m choosing to participate even knowing the possible risks and punishment which includes my knowledge of common police brutality and use of physical force to break up protests similar to these.” And coming from the true account themself, @wc.protests on instagram talks about the safety measures people may take, “There are a whole lot of safety measures we can take in order to make this protest safe for us and for other people. Such as not causing anything violent and knowing that if something goes wrong, you have someone you trust to call.” 

It is blasted among the page that “The most important thing is sticking together and trying to not get lost.” Again, let’s not wander off because there are always dangers that come with that. It is later shown that the map may be a little unclear as of now so it is important to follow the leaders. (edit: the route is found on @wc.protests, please check it out)

It was also asked amongst students why people may not go to the protest. One student says, “It’s not necessarily because they don’t support the cause, it could be a variety of factors like they have strict parents, are scared to have a certain amount of unexcused absences, or are aware of the dangers.” Even if someone is not participating in the protest, it does not mean we go around attacking them. There are a number of reasons that students can not go, and it may be out of their control. Before anyone goes around bashing someone else, remember that this protest is peaceful before and after. 

Interview with @wc.protests

This walkout truly spread like wildfire. The root reason for this is because we used social media as a tool. The @wc.protests account launched on February 18th of this year and has been spreading information about the walkout ever since. It is also noted that an anonymous post was sent into @wchs.whisper on February 18th making people aware of this walkout. Let’s just say the comments were interesting.. 

To add, @wchslatinoclub created an information post regarding the walkout which combined, all posts have reached hundreds of students across campus

The wc.protests account says itself, “I decided to use Instagram, not only because it is a large platform but because many students have the app and when a friend reposts, they are able to find more information within the account. I do honestly find it very effective due to the large popularity of Instagram.” People may try to deny it but the youth and their ability to rally people up for a cause is quick and efficient. It is easy for accounts, such as this, to spread the message through social media, and is highly recommended to check out their page for more information on the protest. 

Then, they were asked, “What are the reasons you are gathering students to protest on Friday?” The account replied with something along the lines, “There isn’t really a true reason we’re doing this besides the obvious disagreement with deportation. We’ve seen many schools do things like this and it caught our attention the way that Hiram was protesting. The group who started this whole thing are Mexicans and Latinos so we are like the most impacted community that is being deported right now. I have personally dealt with troubles/struggles at home because of what’s going on and wanted to do something about it. I knew it wasn’t really going to make a change, but I also knew that knowing I did try makes me feel better.” 

To end off, the account wants to say, “I am thankful for other people who have supported me because I know doing this isn’t even easy for some people due to the endangerment of getting in trouble or such, but I’m glad I have a community in where I could find support and definitely get it when needed.” 

Times like these affect everyone. We have a diverse community here in West Campus, Sacramento, California, and across the United States that understand what we’re going through. This walkout is a way to use our voice and encourage others around us to use their voice, because no one is alone in this fight. If you feel like this matter deeply connects to you, remember to reach out because we have a community here that supports whatever you’re going through. If you want more information such as the map/route, dress code, rules to follow, go to @wc.protests on Instagram as they have many posts going up as the date approaches.