Students To Walk Out Of Class to Protest Kavanaugh Appointment

Youth activists in Massachusetts are planning a walk out of their classrooms Oct. 12 to protest Justice Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, said March for Our Lives: Boston.

During the protest, students will stand silently for eight minutes at 10 a.m. to honor Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and all survivors of sexual assault. This vigil is to protest what March of Our Lives calls "a disturbing and unacceptable statistic" in which every eight minutes, a child is sexually abused or assaulted, according to RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network).

"March for Our Lives isn't a moment, it's a movement," said Vikiana Petit-Homme, 17, President at March for Our Lives: Boston, in a statement. "We aren't just committed to fighting gun violence in our schools and on our streets. We want to drive the youth vote to the polls Nov. 6. That means speaking out on the issues that matter most to us, including advocating for consent education in schools and calling out our latest Supreme Court appointee’s unacceptable behavior.”

In August, March for Our Lives: Boston led a 50-mile march from Worcester to Smith & Wesson's headquarters in Springfield. There, marchers, including gun massacre survivor David Hogg, called on the gun manufacturer to stop manufacturing all weapons outlawed under the state's Assault Weapons Ban and to make a $5 million donation to combat gun violence.

This month, March for Our Lives: Boston organizers are also registering voters in partnership with several area universities, including Brandeis, Boston University, Tufts, UMass Boston, and Northeastern.

March for Our Lives organizers said they expect at least 20 high schools and colleges will be participating in the walkout and encourage students to join at 10 a.m.

"All students are welcome to join us tomorrow," said Chief Outreach Director Fiona Phie, 19, in a statement. "It takes incredible courage for a sexual assault survivor to step forward and share their story. That's why we're standing with Dr. Ford and all sexual assault survivors, 63,000 of whom are under 18. And that’s why we’re demanding our schools adopt consent education programs to prevent sexual assault from occurring in the first place. We will not tolerate a system that appoints a sexual abuser to the nation's highest Court.”

Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court last Saturday.

Are you planning to walk out? Tell us your story at charlene.arsenault@patch.com.

Photo Credit: Jenna Fisher, Patch staff