High School Marchers Protest Restrictions on Speech and Academic Freedom: ‘We are Done Being Polite About Our Rights.'”
By A.J. Muonagolu
Photography By A.J. Muonagolu
Reporting Texas
A.J. Nelson holds the poster he made while walking down E. 11th street toward the Capitol Building
College and high school students marched to the Texas State Capitol Friday to protest new state laws that they say limit student speech and harm public education.
In conjunction with the National Day of Action for higher education, high school students joined students from the University of Texas and Huston-Tillotson University to advocate for legislation that encourages diverse viewpoints and to denounce limits on student and educator speech.
“To Texas lawmakers, hands off our youth — because we are done being polite about our rights.” high school student Kara Newton yelled through a megaphone to protesters. “We are done being complacent. We want change and we want it now!”
Newton and Farah Sabah, both seniors at Weiss High School in Pflugerville, led the march as the co-founders of Beyond Boundaries, a youth-led organization focused on training teenagers to participate in politics and advocacy.
Newton and Sabah said they found new public education laws passed by the Texas Legislature harmful to K-12 students and college students. They pointed to Senate Bill 37, which reduces the power of faculty senates and reforms the way public universities are governed, and Senate Bill 2972, which puts new limits on on-campus protests.
They said they believe raising awareness through actions like the Unity Walk will strengthen support for speech for students and faculty.
“It’s just putting boundaries and limits on education,” Sabah said. “We just wanted to come together as a unity to show that the more people together the better and stronger we are.”
Alongside the high school students, a half-dozen NAACP members and college students from Huston-Tillotson participated to show solidarity and add an extra layer of protection for the younger students. After marching to the Capitol, the students met inside with legislative staffers.
Unity Walk marchers reached the Texas Capitol Building, Texas and then met with legislative staffers.
Mason Thompson, NAACP student chapter president at Huston-Tilltson and senior education major, encouraged his chapter to join after Beyond Boundaries reached out to him. Thompson said he fully supports student advocacy and objects to Texas lawmakers who stifle student expression and learning in K-12 schools.
“Students are trying to breathe, but they can’t because the state is making laws that are choking them,” Thompson said.
Cameron Samuels, executive director of Students Engaging in Advancing Texas, a nonprofit group working for student involvement in education policy, said the group is working with Beyond Boundaries to give a voice to students and faculty.
“We are struggling with having access to uncensored, truthful and critical education,” Samuels said. “Every student deserves to live and learn freely.”
UT students, who planned to attend the college Students Against Trump Compact rally after the Unity Walk, said they felt encouraged by seeing younger students invested in advocacy and were glad they could stand in solidarity with them.
“It’s inspiring because it’s like I wasn’t thinking this way at 16,” said UT senior economics and Black Studies major Mikey Rush. “There’s kids that actively want to fight for their future, and I love it.”
The students vowed to continue to advocate for diverse viewpoints and fewer restrictions on public and collegiate education.
“Moments like this are important in reminding kids that they do have a voice,” said Natalie Mathews, a senior at Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville. “They can make change even if you can’t vote, even if you have school tomorrow; it’s all about prioritizing our democracy.”