Hundreds of Boston Public School students walked out of class Monday afternoon to march on the State House and City Hall to call on Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Marty Walsh to protect them from the policies and appointments of President-elect Donald Trump.
The students rallied on Boston Common before marching to the State House and City Hall. They want Baker and Walsh to strongly denounce some of Trump's picks for senior positions, like in-coming senior adviser Steve Bannon, who many in Monday's crowd considered a white supremacist.
One eighth grader, who preferred not to be named, compared Trump to the villain in ‘Lord of the Flies.’
“I think Donald Trump is like a character called Jack,” she said, “He appeals to the dark side of people and brings that side out.”
The students demand that Gov. Baker declare Massachusetts a “sanctuary state” that will protect undocumented residents from deportation. The young Bostonians outside Monday were nervous the Trump administration will decrease funding for public education or crack down on undocumented families.
Michael Jones, a student at Boston Day and Evening Academy, helped organize the protest. He said many of the protesters couldn’t vote because they were either underage or undocumented.
“They’re not gonna have a say in the policies that Trump tries to enact,” Jones said, “So this is their way of saying, ‘we’re out, this is how we’re using our educational time because we’re not only learning how to utilize our voice, we’re learning how to be in unity and learning how to make a difference," Jones said.
Juliette Rorie, who works for Educators for Excellence, said student-led protests make a difference in policy, like when school walkouts last year prevented the Boston public school budget from being cut.
“So we know that students, when they assemble in large numbers, can really make an impact," Rorie said.
Baker says he didn't vote for Trump and will judge Trump's appointments as a whole, reserving judgement for now.
Walsh said after the election that Boston will protect undocumented residents and stand by policies protecting women and the LGBT community.
"We will defend our friends, neighbors, and family members from any and all efforts to exclude them, harm them, or strip them of their rights. Boston is a city of inclusion, a city of compassion, a welcoming, diverse, global city. We’ll stay that way," Walsh wrote in a blog post released after the election.
Neither Baker or Walsh can control what Trump and the new Republican Congress do, but they can shape policies that invest in a lot of the protections the students are asking for.
Santiago, an undocumented student at Charlestown High School, protested in solidarity with his classmates.
“I came here to support undocumented immigrants,” he said, “So we stand together, like all the people, like we protect each other.”