At 1:15 PM on Tuesday, March 4, students at Lick-Wilmerding High School walked out of their F Block classes to take a stand for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The walkout was organized by the Student Working Activism Group (SWAG), and aimed to amplify support for DEI initiatives on campus in response to both national challenges and recent administrative decisions at LWHS.
Photo courtesy of Chelsie Joy Valerio ’25
Just weeks before the walkout, the U.S. Department of Education, following President Trump’s executive orders, announced the elimination of federal DEI programs, dissolving councils, canceling training contracts and scrubbing references to DEI from public resources. Students at LWHS cited these sweeping federal actions and local concerns as key motivators for their demonstration.
In their announcement, SWAG emphasized the urgency of the walkout, stating, “We are walking out to demonstrate our support for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; reaffirm the importance of this work in every single community; and to hold our Head of School and the forces behind him accountable in maintaining our commitment to social justice.” The email also voiced concerns surrounding the abrupt departure of the Dean of Equity and Inclusion, Dee Johnson.
Dressed in black as a sign of solidarity, LWHS students gathered outside the school lobby before beginning the walkout. The crowd of approximately 145 students then marched to Balboa Park, where two speakers discussed the importance and value of Ethnic Studies at LWHS in light of the school’s action to pause, and then later resume the course.
Following these speeches, participants broke into small groups to discuss why they attended, what DEI meant to them and any additional demands they wanted to see from LWHS. As the event neared an end, students gathered for an open-mic session where individuals shared personal experiences and perspectives on DEI programming at LWHS.
The walkout officially ended at 3:15 PM, when participants returned to campus and organizers placed a poster outside the administrative office with the following message:
“We are walking out and walking towards a vision of Lick-Wilmerding in which DEI is protected, where the teachings of Ethnic Studies are integrated in our school and where every member of our community feels that their identity is represented, respected and celebrated.”
Students who participated in the walkout were encouraged to sign their names in support of the message. The signed poster was then left outside the window of the administrative wing to await a formal response.
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