Education against authoritarianism

Dear Editor:

The alarming events of the past two and a half months since President Trump’s inauguration in January have no doubt been on everyone’s mind- accentuated by joy or fear. Yet we believe, as juniors in high school, that our view is unique and important. Superimposed on our teenage experiences is an ever present feeling of dread, fear, disbelief, and a striking dissonance between the values and lessons being taught in our classrooms—democracy, justice, respect, and truth—to what is being so caustically displayed by our elected leaders.

These circumstances, sadly, have been our ever-present reality since fourth grade; a normal political environment is distant and dim to us. With all of this weighing on us, we decided to send a message to our peers, our school, and our community about what we think of the current state of our country. On April 29, 2025 we plan on staging a walkout at school at 11 am, focusing on “Education Against Authoritarianism”. We hope to show how none of what is happening- despite its prevalence, vitriol and strength- is normal and will never be acceptable. We are writing this as the next generation of voters, of leaders, and we will not stay silent.

Ella Stevenson
Acadia Kincaid
Purcellville