Justice

Walkout: In 1968, East L.A. Students Led a Movement

Fifty years ago, 17-year-old Paula Crisostomo helped organize a multi-school walkout that galvanized the Mexican-American community in Los Angeles.
Students at Eagle Rock High School in Northeast Los Angeles take part in the walkout for gun controlRichard Vogel/AP

Yesterday was not the first time that high schoolers walked out the door of a classroom, calling for a revolution.

The school walkouts across the country yesterday were, in part, a 17-minute protest in memory of those who died during the shooting last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. They also serve as a clear demand. Students, both in Parkland and nationally, are speaking out—on Twitter, in town hall meetings, at rallies—for stricter gun control laws.