Edmonds students to lobby Senate on civil rights bill they helped write

EDMONDS — A group of students in the Edmonds School District are working to ensure other students learn about the history of civil rights.

And in the process, they’re making history of their own.

On Wednesday, approximately 20 Madrona kindergarten to eighth-grade students, led by teac

her Judi MacRae, are scheduled to head to Olympia to lobby legislators about their bill, which is scheduled to go to before the Senate. If approved in the Senate, the bill will move on to the House of Representatives.

While learning about civil rights in preparation of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day assembly, a group of fourth- through sixth-graders decided they wanted to share their lesson with other students.

“We decided we could make a difference, too,” said Noal Leonetti, a fifth-grader.

Fifth-grader Chase Simerka called upon his grandmother, Sen. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, to help his peers create a law to promote learning about civil rights history.

“I’ve been to Olympia a bunch of times,” Chase Simerka said. “I’ve never been there to make a difference. It’s exciting.”

Senate Bill 5174, co-sponsored by Chase, encourages the instruction of the history of the civil rights by encouraging school districts to conduct a program commemorating the history of civil rights at least once a year.

The Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee approved the bill after Sen. Chase introduced it Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Their decision was met with cheers from the students via a live conference call and video presentation.

Watching their bill approved in the Education Committee was emotional for some students.

“I was so happy I cried,” said fourth-grader Kaitlyn Robinson. “I’ve never made a difference like this before.”

The students have no doubt their bill will end with Gov. Chris Gregoire’s signature.

Claire Jackson, a fourth-grader, said the bill is strong and has made it really far.

“The bill will go into a law,” Claire said.

“I feel confident we’ll pass,” said fifth-grader Mikala Kim.