On the steps of City Hall, a student spoke in front of their peers and said, “I dream of a day where there is not any violence and there isn’t any hate.” The steps below were filled with students, teachers and other protesters chanting about fears and frustrations amid the new executive orders President Donald Trump issued.
Chants and cries regarding change and safety for all filled the street of 100 Military Plaza. Students projected their voices to keep children safe, protect human rights and keep immigration enforcement out of schools.
One student in particular said that he is tired of how “the bureaucratic system controls us. We have a right to be able to have abortions. We have a right to choose where we live, and we have a right to vote!”
A teacher reassured the unified group of students among their classmates, stating, “You are the next generation that’s going to make a difference.”
San Antonio Independent School District students and grassroots coalition Mujeres Marcharan organized the walkout to protest recent executive orders: the federal funding freeze, the end of birthright citizenship and the banning of all gender-affirming care for people under 19 years old. Pride flags, Mexican flags and protest messages on various banners and boards crowded City Hall on Feb. 5. “No to deportations. Keep families together,” and “Money for hormones not war,” were among the signs San Antonio students carried.
On Jan. 20, Trump issued many of the executive orders that San Antonio students are protesting.
SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino said, “There was a spike in absences the day after parents learned of the news.”
City Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez attended the protest to show support for San Antonio students. McKee-Rodriguez shared his fears for his safety alongside the students’ concerns.
“My heart hurts that they’ve lost a lot of the innocence that they’re owed, and they have to be out here worried and advocating for themselves and for their futures,” McKee-Rodriguez said.
As a former high school math teacher, McKee-Rodriguez found inspiration within students’ passion for change when running for office. McKee-Rodriguez also emphasized that he hopes students of San Antonio know “there’s people who are here for them, and this generation is not left on their own.”
Another protest was held in Pica Pica Plaza this past Saturday as a continuation of the protest to stop the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies.
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