The Election: Civic Engagement & Outcry

Every four years, November becomes a stressful time for one particular reason: the presidential election. Specifically, the 2024 election put Pennsylvania into the limelight as both the Harris and Trump campaigns focused heavily on winning the state’s 19 electoral votes. Despite Philadelphia’s reputation as one of the greatest Democratic strongholds in the state, it was ultimately the Trump campaign that came out victorious in both Pennsylvania and the country late Tuesday night on November 5th. 

As a result, many in the Philadelphia region have been in uproar over the swift and unexpected conclusion, including youth. The morning after the election, many students walked out of their schools, protesting what the results of the election would hold; many Philadelphia schools saw students walk out of their classes, and Masterman was one of these schools.

During the few weeks leading up to the election, a significant amount of effort was put towards political engagement in the youth vote throughout Julia R. Masterman High School. Specifically, the AP Government class hosted a mock election, simulating an ideal runoff between Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Walz and the now Vice-President Elect J.D Vance. Simultaneously, the Social Science Honors class learned about the United States voting system and made posters for the Philadelphia Youth Vote rally on October 29th.

As high school students gathered at City Hall on November 6th, the diversity of schools present showed widespread frustration among the city’s youth with Trump’s return to power. Masterman’s walkout organizer Charlotte Gavin (‘26) commented on the schools that participated, saying, “Most of the kids present were from The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), Palumbo, Central, and Masterman.” Regarding how it started, she stated:

The day the outcome was decided, someone from Palumbo had posted plans for a walkout on their Instagram story for 12:30 PM. [Despite] short notice, the turnout was great! It consisted of mostly sophomores and freshmen who knew the election's outcome would not change but did not wish to go down without a fight [because] Trump’s policies will impact our society. So, we marched to City Hall, LOVE Park and the Art Museum. I even gave a speech emphasizing our anger and frustration with the idea of our rights being rolled back.

Following the walkout, Sky News posted a video showcasing the walkout, and the majority of responses were negative with many comments such as, “this is democracy, and you´re just upset that things didn't go your way.” Charlotte responded to these comments, highlighting that they were not protesting or attempting to overturn the results akin to January 6th, but rather conducting a peaceful walkout to emphasize their disagreement with his policies and what they feared the future might hold.

The will of the protestors was not an isolated event. Specifically, many of the walkout’s organizers joined together to create the "Philly Youth for Democracy,” aiming their efforts at organizing more protests and spreading awareness on social media @phillyyouthfordemocracy. In addition to this, Charlotte and Masterman English teacher Mr. Kamison stated that they wished to start a social justice club at Masterman where people could express their opinions on current politics, while simultaneously volunteering in community service around Philadelphia. 

Ultimately, it was unsurprising to see the youth taking the center at the preceding walkout with so much at stake on the ballot ranging from reproductive rights to LGBTQ+ rights to gun violence in their schools. As such, one Masterman senior remarked, “I’m actually not exceedingly worried about my own rights—[I’m worried about] HRT [Hormone Replacement Therapy] and abortion rights mostly. I just feel really sad about these in other states.” They continued, referencing something they saw online, stating, “I viewed a map regarding the ease of getting HRT in different states and it is…bleak to say the least.” Another Masterman senior commented on who is to blame for the increase in Republican votes to what was initially expected, saying, “I dislike third-party votes in the presidential electionsI [also] dislike people who did not vote [at all], and would have [actually] rather them voted third party than not vote at all. It is important to be civically engaged, but we must also do it in a pragmatic and educated way.” They believe the high Republican turnout was because “the MAGA movement is based on false information.”

Thereby, there is an increased amount of worry, anger, and somberness in both Masterman and Philadelphia after the election. Even still, many have developed a level of determination, emphasizing the need to be even more engaged with their communities, and to use the coming years as a time to work toward the future.