Student Activism in the United States and in the Philippines

Even the late night shows here in the United States are in awe. Student activists from Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The discussions on gun-control legislation do not appear to fade as quickly as previous times. At this point, it seems that teenagers are no longer going to sit down and tolerate the deaf ears of their politicians. Hundreds of miles away, here in Virginia, students from the middle school my son attends have also staged a walkout. My son's principal, Maria Eck, writes in an email addressed to the parents of middleschoolers:
About 40 of our students walked out at in honor of the 17 victims from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Staff members directed them to exit the front of the building and stand by the flagpole. Students exited and reentered the building in an orderly fashion and were outside for 17 minutes before returning to class.

FCPS (Fairfax County Public Schools) respects the rights of our students to engage in peaceful protest and express their opinions through speech and other ways as long as it is done respectfully, does not interfere with the rights of others, and does not disrupt learning in the school. Our school is committed to providing an environment where everyone is treated with respect and encouraged to help others.

Our teachers, administrators and staff continue to reinforce a sense of positive school community and we ask for your partnership in working with your child to discuss meaningful actions that they can take to engage in their community.
Students are protesting on an issue that lies so close to their hearts, their own safety inside campuses. There is no partisan politics. Their message is clear.

Above copied from Vanity Fair

Across the Pacific Ocean, students are also walking out of their classrooms.

Above copied from CNN Philippines

These students are protesting against several issues: charter change, federalism, tax reform law, and martial law in Mindanao. Students from the University of the Philippines are also joined by vendors and jeepney drivers. Vendors are affected by the tax reform that now imposes additional tax on sugary and unhealthy drinks while jeepney drivers are voicing against the government's plan to phase out their heavily polluting and energy inefficient vehicles. The chancellor of the university encourages the students to participate in these activities as part of their education. Students in the United States are speaking out because they no longer feel safe in their schools. Their campaign called NeverAgain seeks both legislation and action from the government to prevent these mass shootings in schools. On the other hand, students from the Philippines seem bent towards only one goal, destabilize and topple the Duterte administration.






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