Student protests prove kids as the adults in the room

Published 1:30 am Sunday, February 8, 2026

I want to express how proud I am of the thousands of students who marched out of their classrooms this past week to protest ICE. Kids don’t have much political power, but as we have witnessed ICE agents snatch children at their schools or take their parents while they’re away, the real-world consequences of politics do not care how old you are. These students know that. They see the impacts on their friends and classmates. They know what bullies are.

At the same time, I want to express how utterly disappointed I am in the few adults who took time out of their doubtless busy afternoons to stop by these protests to yell, curse, flip-off, roll coal, and sometimes assault children. One report out of Arlington says one man even exposed himself to the protesters. These adults should have known better.

Our children watch us. Always. Remember that before you post another screed in your neighborhood mom group attacking them for exercising for their rights. As for the kids: Don’t be deterred. History will remember you well.

Shannon Ozog Somes

Monroe