More than 100 students participated in a walkout along Fuller Road and 82nd Avenue at 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, peacefully protesting the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and standing in solidarity with the victims of recent events in Minneapolis. 

This walkout was one of many demonstrations which took place that day, as students across the country engaged in a “National Shutdown” objecting to the increase in ICE activity across the U.S. 

Sophomore Maddie Mosen was one of the students who initially came up with the idea and helped to organize the protest, which occurred during Flex Time. 

For her, the demonstration stemmed from a desire to respond to what she sees as the recent inhumane treatment of immigrants by ICE officers. Since she knew there was a national walkout planned, it seemed like an opportunity for students who were concerned about this issue to come together and express their perspectives on it. 

“It’s really important to participate in community events because I think so often we forget about the power of being together, and we forget about how we contribute to each other and to our society,” Mosen said. “When we’re all together and we’re all standing up for other people and for each other, we feel this sense of … support, belonging, and this sense of safety and joy … which I think is very powerful.” 

While Principal Ms. Alanna O’Brien said that she supports the right of students to express their perspectives on current issues, she also stressed a need for safety. 

“It’s always a little tricky to figure out how to support students using their voices,” she said. “I want students to be safe, and I want our actions to align with the school values.”

Ms. O’Brien explained that students initially brought a desire for the walkout to happen to Director of Campus Ministry Mr. Carter Powers, who helped facilitate and support students but was not involved with the planning itself. 

“I was informed by a student that there would be a nationwide walkout at 1 p.m. on Friday to protest unjust immigration enforcement, and they were asking for support,” Mr. Powers said. “I said that the support that could be given by my office, if they were interested, is that we could have a prayer and a speaker that grounds what is going on in our Catholic faith. And they seemed interested in that.”

After the walkout, students returned back to campus for an optional prayer service in the chapel, led by Fr. Bill Ameche, SJ, a priest who serves in Hispanic Ministry.

Both Mr. Powers and Ms. O’Brien highlighted the importance of focusing on human dignity and Lasallian core values over politicizing the issue.

“Our students who are invested in the walkout are concerned less about the larger issue of immigration, and more about treatment of individuals in ways that promote human dignity, and they feel like that’s at risk right now,” Ms. O’Brien said. “This was really about protecting the rights of people, those rights that are aligned with our Constitution, those rights that align with our Catholic values. People’s human dignities are at the core of what we do.” 

Fr. Ameche stressed throughout his service that, from his perspective, the current situation is rooted more in how people are being treated than political beliefs. 

“It’s not about who’s right or who’s wrong,” he said. “It’s about when we’re in a situation, what do we do?” 

Reflecting on the prayer service, counselor Ms. Chris Babinec said she hoped students would leave it with an understanding of what it means to be morally aware.

“I think that his emphasis on compassion, dignity, and humanity was really, really powerful,” Ms. Babinec said. “I hope that everyone was able to take that to heart.”

For junior Hope Tanzambi, this emphasis on humanity reflects how she sees the broader issue. 

“It’s morally wrong what we are doing to other human beings as human beings,” she said.

In addition to the message of the prayer service, Mosen said that another part of the walkout that stood out to her was the collective student activism. 

“Peaceful protesting and civic participation are very important in democracy, and they can and they will make a difference,” she said. “We just have to stay together, because we can make change happen.” 

Senior Miles Timberlake echoed the significance of community and advocacy. 

“I feared that if I said nothing and just quietly walked along, I’d regret it,” Timberlake said. “Afterwards, I’m glad that I did say something … Young people in general have been able to lead such powerful action and movements to make change happen.”

Despite the difficulties youth may face in expressing their opinions, Mr. Powers advised students to acknowledge their capabilities rather than feel confined by their age.

“It’s tough being an adolescent, because there’s not always a lot you can do, right? You don’t necessarily have enough influence yet or freedom to take huge risks to accomplish justice,” Mr. Powers said. “But you shouldn’t limit yourself by what you can’t do, but what you can do, and even a small act of solidarity or finding creative ways to bring attention to injustice and have a big impact.”

The value of student activism was also reiterated by senior David Sharyan, who emphasized the need for respectful discourse. 

As a student who did not participate in the walkout, he finds that conversations — especially those without prejudice — are critical to creating a space where everyone feels safe to share their perspectives. 

“One of the most important things in our school community is having dialogue and talking to each other about these issues,” Sharyan said. “There’s a big stigma about politics, political issues and talking about these kinds of things, but as long as we talk openly and fairly, I think that’s okay. I think one of the worst things that we can do is demonize one another — dehumanize one another for our beliefs.” 

He hopes that different points of view toward the walkout and the topics it concerns can be discussed without judgement. 

“Everyone goes through their own things,” Sharyan said. “I don’t think the people who did participate should judge the people who didn’t, and I don’t think the people who didn’t should judge the people who did.” 

For Ms. O’Brien, promoting and preserving respectful dialogue in the community is crucial.

“I hope that as a community and as a society, there can be more dialogue and conversation,” Ms. O’Brien said. “I think there’s more common ground than people are realizing right now.”