Boston Students Walk Out of Class to Protest Trump
Nearly 300 Boston students walked out of their classes Monday afternoon to march to the Massachusetts State House and Boston's City Hall in their protest against Donald Trump's election.
The walk-out started just after 1 p.m. on the Boston Common, where students gathered.
Student organizers wanted to give Gov. Charlie Baker a petition to demand that state leaders stand up to Trump. After the State House, student protesters marched to City Hall to meet with Mayor Marty Walsh.
“I wanted to come out as an ally to the LGBTQ community, to Muslims, to women, and to all the other communities that are under attack by the proposed policies and statements that Donald Trump has made,” said Jhalen Williams of Excel High School.
Students March During Protest Against Trump
Earlier, the superintendent of Boston Public Schools urged students not to miss class Monday to protest Trump's election.
In a video posted to Twitter, Superintendent Tommy Chang said, "I want you to know that your voice matters. I encourage you to use that voice. And I encourage you to use that voice on campus with your peers and with adults that care so deeply about you."
He added, "Losing classroom time won't help anyone. There is a time and place for these conversations to happen."
Representatives of the mayor’s office did meet with students outside the building. Walsh later told necn that the students should have stayed in school.
“There’s not a lot to accomplish right now. Trump isn’t the president right now,” Walsh said.
Kianna Allen, a student at Cristo Rey, said she is concerned about the rhetoric she heard on the campaign trail.
“A lot of families are going to be hurting. There's a lot of people here and their family's are immigrants and they came over here to do better and Donald Trump is just targeting them,” Allen said.
Boston School officials said 282 students were marked absent for walking out of school.
Source: Boston Students Walk Out of Class to Protest Trump | NECN http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Boston-Students-Plan-Walk-Out-to-Protest-Trump-404725155.html#ixzz4S4z3sWNR
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