History is made every day by men and women alike. Let’s take a look at two young women who secured a place in the history of Amityville schools. Grace Luis and Stephanie Benitez, two juniors and student-athletes, recently used their voices to protest ICE.
Grace is a junior who plays soccer, flag football, and runs track. She is also a member of NHS and works hard to maintain strong grades. Stephanie Benitez is a junior on the cheerleading team and is also a member of NHS, where she continues to excel academically.
The question many people ask is: Why would “good students” get involved in something that could potentially affect their records? Their answer is simple: to advocate for what they believe is right.
When asked about this, they responded:
“Our response to these comments is that many people can have their own perspectives, but we don’t think it was a dumb decision. We think it was the complete opposite because students got the chance to stand up and use their voices. Students got to come together and be the bravest version of themselves. We accepted the consequences because, if we didn’t, there would be no point in civil disobedience. We wanted to make a point, and the way to do that was to disobey certain rules. No harm was done, so there should be nothing to be disappointed in. Just like Martin Luther King Jr. stood up for what was right and went to jail, he was proud because he wasn’t doing anything bad—he was being brave.”
Whether people agree with their actions or not, it takes courage to publicly support a cause and speak out on an issue that matters to them. What truly influenced them to organize the protest?
“What influenced us to do the protest at school was the opportunity to create some sort of change and bring awareness to innocent immigrants being taken for no reason. Many immigrant families and children are being treated unfairly and receiving little attention. We wanted to show our community that we support one another and want ICE out. We want to bring justice to Amityville and the surrounding towns.”
One of the hardest parts of organizing an event like this is getting people involved. These students and their group used their resources effectively. Since they had organized a walkout before, they understood how to gain attention and build support.
“We got the numbers for the protest by using social media platforms, polls, and communication with people in school. It took a lot of organization to make sure we had a good number of people who wanted to participate.”
They worked hard to promote advocacy, and their efforts resulted in strong participation. Organizing an event also requires consideration of scheduling, weather, and other factors.
“It was initially planned for an earlier date, but various obstacles came up. For example, the weather was a problem because of the excessive amount of snow. This could have been dangerous, and many people wouldn’t have wanted to go outside. Another issue was that the Black History Month assembly was scheduled for the same day as the original protest date. We didn’t want to give off the wrong message, so we decided to change the date. If we hadn’t done that, we would have been taking attention away from the assembly, which wouldn’t have reflected the message of unity we wanted to promote. There were many other obstacles, but they helped us take more time to carefully think everything through.”
Not only were they considerate of the people participating, but they were also mindful of other school events. Respecting the Black History Month assembly demonstrated their commitment to supporting multiple causes and communities.
Another source of inspiration came from students at other schools who had organized similar demonstrations.
“I took inspiration from other schools’ protests because I wanted to organize ours the right way. I saw how other schools created social media accounts to inform participants about progress and guidelines. I decided to do the same and follow several people from the school. It helped a lot with communication and spreading information about the protest date.”
Even after organizing the event, the students faced criticism from some members of the community, both online and in person. Despite the backlash, they remained committed to their beliefs and continued to advocate for what they felt was right.
No matter how large an issue may seem, these students believe it is worth addressing. As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. While one person can push a boulder up a hill alone, many people working together can accomplish the task more effectively.
