Students Voice Concerns of Election Outcome
Students at Central Campus joined their peers at high schools across Des Moines in voicing concerns over the 2016 election outcome.
Students at high schools throughout Des Moines took part in a protest this morning to voice their concerns about the outcome of last night’s presidential election, and express their support for each other.
Students have the right to be heard. Des Moines, after all, was the beginning of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Tinker decision, which ruled their rights to speech are constitutionally protected at school.
Senior Nico Robinson, an 18-year old who cast his first votes yesterday, coordinated the participation at Lincoln High School where students packed the commons area to reaffirm support for one another.
“Guys, let’s have a moment of silence together and remember that Lincoln is a safe place for everybody,” he said to the crowd, many of whom hoisted placards reading “Undocumented, Unafraid,” or “Brown is Beauty.” There were scents of fresh spray paint and uncertainty in the air. A chant of “Love Trumps Hate” rose and then faded as the crowd dispersed in an orderly fashion and returned to class.
The majority of students at Des Moines Public Schools are students of color. They represent more than 100 different nations. More than one out of five students are English Language Learners. The rhetoric of this past election has caused many concerns and divisions among them, their friends and their families.
The school district did not stand in the way of our students peacefully expressing their concerns, nor did the district make changes to the school day at high school. Classes and the schedule continued as normal.
At the same time, this year’s election has been a lesson and reminder that our democracy is not always easy and the results do not always turn out as you might hope. That has been true throughout our history. But regardless of whatever their political positions might be, we hope our students will continue to be engaged and speak out on issues that matter to them, and that all of us will do more to listen to each other.
