Yarianie Rodriguez, a student from Monona Grove High School, outlined the group’s demands, which included state drivers’ licenses for all residents of age and regardless of documentation status, free school lunches, improvements to the work permitting process, and divestment from the Israeli war in Gaza.
Rally organizers view the two issues as deeply intertwined and both important for the students, many of whom will be old enough to vote in November’s presidential election.
A banner held by students read “No borders in the workers’ struggle. Free Palestine. La clase obrera no tienes fronteras (The working class has no borders).”
“All of these are things that have to be said and be advocated for, because many things go unnoticed,” Rodriguez said. “And this is the day where all students come and make their demands and voices heard.”