By Julia Labrada
If you’re familiar with the properties of water, you’ll know that at temperatures below 32° Fahrenheit, it freezes. Once temperatures exceed 32°, the newly formed ice melts and takes the form of water. However, the US agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement gives a completely different meaning to the word ICE. What you might not be familiar with, however, is its “melting point”. In light of recent events, many Americans, including students here at Nyack, find themselves asking the same question: “Where and when will the US government draw the line between law enforcement and discrimination?”
Whatever your political persuasion, it’s impossible to ignore the protests occurring in our own school community. Throughout the past month, Nyack students have come together to flood their classrooms and halls with white shirts, all boldly decorated with anti-ICE imagery and sentiments. The same students have organized two anti-ICE gatherings in Nyack proper, drawing crowds in the hundreds and leading a march down Main Street. Why? The answer to that question is simple. According to seniors Zeina Ayyoub, Sandy López Vásquez, Lauryn Morillo, Kristine Rivera Lopez, Alex Galdamez Rodrigues, and junior Paoly Lopez Murillo, the project draws inspiration from the works of Malcom X, Greta Thunberg, and Claudette Colvin. As stated by Ayoub, the protests aim to “raise awareness and build a community” in response to policies that are “cruel” and “extreme”.
Individually, Morillo stated the influence of Malcolm X’s famed slogan “by any means necessary” on her personal participation. Galdamez Rodrigues explained the inspiration he gathered from Greta Thunberg and her willingness to speak up for her beliefs in the face of immense scrutiny regarding her age and gender. Lopez Murillo credited Claudette Colvin, a pioneer of the 1950s Civil Rights Movement, as her biggest influence. “Although she was young, she still stood up against injustice and racism by peacefully protesting and refusing to give up her seat, which is what we’re trying to do as well,” said Lopez Murillo . Lopez Vasquez stated the empathy she feels when imagining the reality that some children face upon opening their doors to an empty home, and realizing that their parents were deported while they were at school. On an increasingly personal note, Ayyoub connected the protest to her grandmother, a Palestinian refugee, and her personal inspiration.
Collectively, the group emphasized the importance of organized protests, especially among teenagers and young adults. Drawing from the themes of history paired with first-hand experiences, Morillo shared her personal goal for the protest: ‘I want people to acknowledge that we have a chance to change history, our generation has lived through so much, and we shouldn’t be afraid to speak up. We have learned how much of a difference speaking up has made, even if it isn’t immediate.” Full of encouragement, she continued, “No one should be afraid to use their voice to stand up for what [they] believe in.”
Gen Z-organized protests are not unheard of, and considering the scale of social media, the concept of a small school protest growing into a larger movement isn’t far-fetched. In fact, in 2018, at just 15 years old, Greta Thunberg embarked on a three-week school strike. During this period, she stood outside the Swedish Parliament building holding a sign that translated to “School Strike for Climate.” Although she began the movement alone, Thunberg quickly gained global attention through social media. With Thunberg’s success in mind, Galdamez Rodrigues’s goal to “reach a high level of publicity and [be the] voice for the unheard” clearly isn’t unattainable.
With this goal of increased public awareness in mind, the students have organized (as of February 7) two protests in Nyack proper, both centered at the gazebo on the corner of Main St and Cedar St. The gathering on January 23 was small and composed mainly of Nyack students, but the second one on January 31 drew a crowd of hundreds of Nyack residents from all age groups. Wielding anti-ICE signs, megaphones, and sheer determination, the students led a march down Main St.