Dozens of Philadelphia students walked out of their classrooms Friday protesting the 2024 presidential election results and the impact President-elect Donald Trump could have on climate change policies.
Still, they said, the people have spoken.
“We are not trying to overturn an election. We are not storming the Capitol, but we are saying that our rights matter,” said Clara Hensley, 17, a senior at Science Leadership Academy. “We are saying that we deserve to have safe schools. We deserve to have a future. Because there’s only six years left to solve a climate crisis before it gets too far.”
The walkout was part of a national effort organized by the Sunrise Movement — an advocacy group that promotes policies to slow climate change — and led by local student activists.
Young people in deep blue Philly have been grappling with President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive win in Pennsylvania and what it will mean for the next four years.
Aster Chau, 16, from the Academy at Palumbo organized her classmates to walk out on Friday.
“We are not alone. Across the nation, there are other schools who just walked out with you and are taking action. We are scared for our futures, and today, it’s about uplifting the youth,” Chau said, speaking to her friends and classmates at City Hall. “We will create power and use this moment of fear, uncertainty, anger, and all of it to channel momentum.”
Chau said she and her peers are looking specifically at Trump’s education policies and how they will impact her school.
“Our schools are already underfunded and suffering and our extracurricular activities don’t get enough funding anymore,” she told Chalkbeat.
Trump and his campaign surrogates have made sweeping pledges to change the nation’s educational systems including dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, expanding school choice, rolling back some protections for LGBTQ students, and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants.
Students on Friday told Chalkbeat they were walking out of their classes in protest of Trump’s statements about abortion and reproductive care, as well as his immigration stances that some students said threaten their families and communities.
Though they rallied and organized their peers ahead of the election, youth voter turnout nationally was lower in 2024 than it was in 2020 overall, according to data analysis from the Tufts University Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).
In Pennsylvania, voters ages 18-29 preferred Harris (54%) over Trump (45%) according to CIRCLE data.
Chau said whatever the outcome, she and her peers will continue to advocate for causes they believe in.
“Youth will always build power, and we will always fight for the changes we want to see,” Chau said. “Regardless of the results of the election, we’re going to keep fighting, and we’re going to keep our hopes up, because that’s what’s keeping us going.”
Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.
