HUNDREDS OF ANTIOCH STUDENTS from three different schools walked off their campuses this month to protest federal immigration enforcement tactics nationwide.
The students marched nearly two hours on Feb. 6 to stage a peaceful anti-ICE protest at the Walmart supercenter.
This protest was part of a growing trend of student walkouts across Contra Costa County and the East Bay. In just the past week protests were held at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, Acalanes High School in Lafayette, Heritage High School in Brentwood, and schools in Orinda, Walnut Creek, Concord and Pleasant Hill.
Regionally, the protests were in solidarity with national campaigns following the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
According to the East County publication, The Press, the walkout included students from Deer Valley High School, Dozier-Libbey Medical High School, Antioch High School, and several Antioch middle schools.
Students from Dozier-Libbey began their walkout around 12 p.m., joining Deer Valley students later along the 2-mile route. Chanting and holding handmade signs, group leaders said the action represented unity, peaceful protest, and the importance of student voices in civic engagement. Some students from Black Diamond Middle School in Antioch also joined the peaceful protest.
The protest was organized by Dozier-Libbey 12th graders Aranza Reyes, Zia Hernandez, Rachelle Leon and Rosselyn Arzeta, with additional support from 11th graders Lilyana Ponce and Elijah Soliman.
Focused on the message
Before the walkout, organizers were called in to meet with Dozier-Libbey Principal Blair Wilkins to discuss safety and expectations. Leon said Wilkins reminded them to keep things peaceful so the message wouldn’t get lost or twisted.
“He told us he had our full support and that he wasn’t going to take away our First Amendment right to protest,” Arzeta added. She also shared that he referenced Martin Luther King Jr., saying that peaceful action is what makes a protest effective.
Leon said her motivation came from personal experience and concern for others who feel unable to speak out.
“My biggest inspiration was my family, and also knowing thousands of immigrants and Americans are going through the same situation,” Leon said. “A lot of people are scared to speak up because of fear of family separation. I want people to realize what’s happening is unjust, inhumane, and cruel.”
“A lot of people are scared to speak up because of fear of family separation. I want people to realize what’s happening is unjust, inhumane, and cruel.”
Rachelle Leon, student protest organizer
Coordination between students across the school district helped spread the message. Leon explained, “Deer Valley students reached out first, and we worked together to plan logistics, timing, and safety. Seeing students from Dozier walking together, and then seeing Deer Valley waiting for us, felt so powerful. I literally got chills.”
Arzeta noted how social media helped spark the idea. “I kept seeing walkouts online and thought, ‘We should do that too.’ After seeing the walkout at Heritage High School in Brentwood, I talked with other organizers and we decided to plan one here. When we finally met up and I turned around and saw almost half the school there, it honestly surprised me in a good way.”
She emphasized the protest’s purpose: “Without immigrants, there is no America. It’s upsetting to see people being divided when immigrants do so much for this country.”
From online to the picket line
A Deer Valley student who asked to remain anonymous said the protest allowed them to move beyond online discussions and take visible action. “I didn’t want to just complain online … being there felt like actually doing something.”
She added that seeing students from different schools together made the experience more meaningful. “It made me realize even though we may not know each other, we’re on the same side.”
“I was so surprised to see so many students like standing up and using their voices for a really important cause,” Leon said. “A lot of students carried extra water bottles so nobody would be dehydrated, and many helped with posters. Every single person played a vital role, and being part of something that affects our community so deeply was really special.”
A Dozier-Libbey student who asked to remain anonymous summed up this way: “Personally, it means standing up for what I believe in and not just watching from the sidelines. It made me feel empowered, like my opinions matter and like I’m not alone in feeling this way.”
Vi Nguyen is an 11th grader at Dozier-Libbey Medical High School in Antioch and a CCYJ reporter. This story originally appeared in CCSpin.