Hundreds of Olympia students walk out of school to protest leaked Roe v. Wade decision
Olympia high school and middle school students walked out of school Friday morning to protest the contents of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Washington State Patrol estimated about 200 students gathered at Heritage Park following the walkout.
Freshmen students Hannah Martin, Evie Penrod, Clara Randall, Nell McGuigan, and Sarah Walz with the Olympia High School Feminism Club organized the event.
Penrod said after the draft abortion decision was leaked last Monday they were all distraught, angry and scared. They said they wanted to show that “the youth is very involved in this and very passionate about this issue.”
Walz said the event organizers wanted to provide “space for people to express how angry they were.”
Additionally, McGuigan said not only are they concerned about “people with uteruses rights being taken away” but also that the issue will affect LGBTQ+ rights, another thing the group is passionate about.
Students from Washington Middle School, Capital High School, Avanti High School and Black Hills High School also participated. A message sent to Washington Middle School parents estimated that more than 80 students walked out. It said that most students who participated were excused by their parents, but “a walk out of this magnitude is something that we have never experienced as a staff.”
After leaving classes around 11 a.m. Friday, students streamed down Capitol Way and met at Heritage Park, after some marched there from school and a few drove, according to the event organizers.
Martin said their group has talked a lot about how women have never been equal, and said they want the Supreme Court to recognize that youth see them doing things that are not benefiting women.
They also wanted to bring awareness to the issue, because their school has yet to address it in “the slightest bit,” Penrod said.
“We also want to let the Supreme Court know that there’s a lot of youth that are very outraged and very passionate, and we won’t be quiet,” Penrod added.
This story was originally published May 7, 2022 at 12:56 PM.
