Often times in today’s society, teenagers feel that they have no way to express themselves and what they believe. However, on Dec. 5 at 10:45 a.m., over 200 students left their classes to participate in a protest for social equality, held in the North gym.

“I wanted to hold a protest because the people of West High school and beyond need to understand the bigger issue of racism,” protest organizer sophomore Alyssa Jackson said.  “It doesn’t just start with Michael Brown or Eric Gardner. It’s about unity and how we need to come together as one and not be separated based on different beliefs, opinions or races – everyone is important and everyone matters.”

Unlike recent violent protests, the walkout for equality was organized to show the community that protests can easily be peaceful and still convey a powerful message.

“Violence isn’t the answer. When someone who is prejudiced sees the news and already thinks that a certain racial group is violent; it further promotes their biased mindset. Instead, a peaceful protest proves the message that everyone matters and we need to stop racism now,” Jackson said.

Students were asked to be completely silent while they linked arms and marched around the perimeter of the gym.

“I made about 13 signs to distribute throughout the walkout. I wanted the signs to speak for us,” senior Claire Webster said.

The predominant goal of the walkout was to promote equality, but others saw it as a chance to raise awareness for the pain Michael Brown’s family has gone through the past few months.

“Sometimes it feels like Ferguson is so far away, but it’s really in our own state. It helps me to understand that this is a big problem and it’s close to home,” feminist club Co-President Mariel McMindes said.

Jackson’s main inspiration to organize the protest was from her personal interactions with Michael Brown’s aunt, who attends her church.

“One reason I’m supporting this is because there is a lady at my church, who is Michael Brown’s Aunt, and I saw how deeply it affected her. Seeing her upset, seeing the news and violent protests made me realize how necessary it is for our school, specifically because we have so many different ethnicities, to come together as one,” Jackson said.

The staff hopes that this peaceful protest will act as a bond to bring the students of West High closer together.

“My hope is that the physical bonding of linking arms will be something emotional and tangible that lasts between the students. Also, there’s a pledge called Vivian Edward’s Pledge that is posted along the walls of many classrooms but is not often talked about a lot. I hope that because of the walkout many students will realize we need to speak out for minorities and all voices,” Carly Roach, counselor and liaison for the Superintendent’s Social Justice Leadership Advisory Council said. “We like to imagine that everyone is the same, because it’s a little easier, but it’s time to be more aware of each others differences and to engage in them so we can ultimately see each other through a different lens.”