Hugs, walkouts and tears: How the election’s youngest voices reacted to the results

In any other year, November means a seemingly endless countdown to Thanksgiving break. For many students who bore the brunt of the election’s racial tensions, the weeks after this year’s election were far more fraught.

Through organized protests and, in one case, an impromptu multischool rally, many students who couldn’t cast a ballot found ways to be heard. Chalkbeat reporters were able to listen in. Here’s what we we learned.

  • ‘Education not deportation’: Hundreds of NYC students walk out of class, march to Trump Tower in protest
    “The day after the election, I was in tears,” said Hebh Jamal, a Beacon senior and one of the protest’s organizers. “A lot of my friends are disabled, a lot of my friends are immigrants, a lot of my friends are undocumented. This is scary. Everyone was just so distraught, and we all want to do something.”
  •  How my school embraced student protesters after Trump’s win
    “It became clear that the day would not be spent on ‘traditional’ instruction. Students were angry, afraid and dealing with feelings of rejection. Our principal asked teachers to offer their classrooms as safe places for students to express their feelings. Students gravitated to classrooms and places in the building where they felt they would be heard.”
Denver students chant in protest of Donald Trump. (Melanie Asmar)

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