Jimmy Gomez: “I want to talk about something that gives me hope in the wake of the senseless tragedies and attacks on our communities…”

“I want to talk about something that gives me hope in the wake of the senseless tragedies and attacks on our communities: the power of students to change the course of history. Fifty years ago this week, 15,000 students in East Los Angeles rose up in solidarity to demand culturally relevant education, better facilities, and diverse teachers. I rise in honor of those students from Wilson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Belmont High Schools, who started a movement that would be known as the East Los Angeles walkouts. I also rise in honor of current student activists everywhere. Student activism has always been a powerful response to social injustice, that when those in power fail to listen or to act in the interests of all people, it is time for a new generation of Americans to speak up, walk out, and organize. Whether you were in East Los Angeles in 1968 or in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, you will be heard, you will be remembered, and you will become the change that we all seek. ____________________”