I walked from Hawkins to Manual to Santee to City Hall and 6th Street Bridge. I heard about the walkout on February 6, 2025, through a social media post. The now-deleted post called for students to meet outside the music room during the passing period before the second period, around 10:08 am. A good number of students, about 50-60 were gathered outside the music room, chanting ‘walkout.’ Our school opened the gates, allowing the students to walk out. Many of them didn’t leave but others headed towards Manual Arts High School, carrying Hispanic/Latino flags and posters that read, ‘Mis Padres lucharon por mí, Hoy yo lucho por ellos,’ which translates to ‘My parents fought for me, today I fight for them.’
When we reached Manual Arts as a group, we chanted ‘Let them walk,’ but the staff laughed at us and recorded our chants. Undeterred, we continued toward Santee High School, receiving support from citizens along the way. However, my friends and I got separated from the main group at a traffic light and had a personal encounter with someone who disagreed with our actions, hurling racial slurs at us through their vehicle and then speeding off. But we didn’t let that scare us. We walked faster to rejoin our group and headed straight for Santee.
Outside of Santee, we chanted ‘Let them walk,’ and luckily, it was lunchtime. The Principal came out and said she would let the students walk. When the gate opened, a small number of students, about 20-30, joined us. I honestly expected more students to join, but hey, some support is better than none! Once we regrouped outside of Santee High School, we all decided to walk towards City Hall through Downtown LA.
As we walked through an area of Los Angeles called The Santee Alleys, known for its strong Latino/Hispanic community, we got a ton of support from the local vendors and passing vehicles. One of the coolest moments during our walk through Downtown LA was when a news helicopter started recording us on our way to City Hall! A student from Hawkins even got asked for an interview by a news station!
When we finally reached City Hall, there were other high school students protesting, at least 300 of them, if not more, all chanting together with flags. It was super inspiring to see so many students standing up and voicing their opinions. The protest was well-organized and peaceful. I noticed adults helping navigate students through traffic and others handing out water and snacks.
One of my favorite posters was from a teacher who claimed to be a history teacher, saying, “Proud History Teacher Here.” It honestly made me laugh because no teachers from my school walked out, but it was great to see some teachers standing with their students. I’ll try to include the photo if I find it, but I’m not sure if I have it. Just wanted to mention that!
After protesting for a while, many students began chanting to head to the 6th Street Bridge. I watched as a crowd of students took to the streets from the City Hall steps. We all marched together through traffic toward the bridge. Once we reached it, people were cheering, and since most of us had walked roughly 10 miles that day, many stayed on the bridge to take a break. By this time, my camera had died, so I decided to head back home because it was already around 2:30, and I was pretty hungry since I hadn’t eaten all day. This was my experience in a walkout, and I hope we were able to spread awareness about what’s happening, not just in our community but in others where people might be affected too.
