This Friday, Sept. 5, Manual’s Students Demand Action (SDA) is holding a walkout for safer schools in response to the attack at Annunciation Catholic Church’s back-to-school Mass. The shooting killed two children, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, and injured 19 others.
The walkout was organized by the national chapter of SDA and is occurring at schools across the country. At Manual specifically, the walkout will be silent in protest of the shooting and in remembrance of the victims.
“A lot of people are talking about it right now who aren’t even that involved in gun policy advocacy,” Joanna Lee (12, J&C) Manual SDA co-founder and co-president said. “The event pushed us to start the walkout after [the national chapter] SDA brought it to us.”
How to participate and possible consequences
The walkout will begin at 12:45 p.m. SDA instructs students to exit the school from the main entrance on the front lawn as it is the only one permitted by the school. Once outside, students should walk toward the flagpole and face the front of the school. The walk out will end at 1:05 p.m. Students whose red day fourth block class is in YPAS or the YPAS Annex will be escorted to and from Manual’s front lawn should they choose to participate.
In addition, they ask students participating to wear orange to “show solidarity with the gun violence prevention movement,” or to wear white “in remembrance of the victims of Annunciation Catholic School.” SDA will distribute signs to those participating.
Because the student request for protest was submitted to Manual administration, there will be no consequences for those who participate during the allotted time and return directly to class when the walkout ends. Additionally, to avoid consequences, students must not be disruptive to other classes while entering and exiting the building and must report only to the designated area. Work that is completed in class during the time of the walkout will not be excused or allowed to be made up.
Previous walkouts at Manual
Manual held a similar walkout, one that was also held across the country on National Walkout Day: March 14, 2018. The day marked one month after the Parkland school shooting, where 17 students and staff were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. Manual’s walkout received local coverage and recognition beyond the school.
“We decided to have [Manual’s upcoming walkout] silent in recognition of that walkout as well,” Viet Pham (12, HSU), Manual SDA co-founder and co-president said.
Manual held another walkout in 2023, when students left their classes in protest of anti-LGBTQ bills going through Kentucky’s legislature, including SB 150, HB 30 and HB 470. Additionally, students walked out in 2022 in protest of the then potential overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Manual SDA
Lee, Pham and graduate Alex Jones founded Manual’s SDA chapter in 2024. The former chapter president of Louisville’s chapter contacted Pham, who felt that SDA could make a bigger impact on a school level.
The founders were especially motivated by the swatting at Manual in November 2023.
The upcoming walkout will be SDA’s biggest schoolwide event, though they have done other work across Louisville, including voter registration drives and organizing an Advocacy Day in March.
“School is a place that we should feel safe at. This is a place for us to learn… whether or not we’re gonna be going home that day should not be something that we’re worrying about,” Lee said.
Follow Manual RedEye for continued coverage on SDA’s Walkout for Safer Schools.
