http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0330studentpower.html

Instant protest - young activists make most of today's wired world

Mel Melndez and Anne Ryman The Arizona Republic Mar. 30, 2006 12:00 AM

There's no doubt that the high school student protests that emptied several schools, blocked traffic and packed the state capital lawn were real.

It's the way they were organized that was virtual.

Although the student demonstrations Monday and Tuesday paled in comparison with Friday's 20,000-strong march, the city's biggest, they likely marked the first appearance of a new generation of activists savvy about using electronic gadgets, text messaging and the Internet to organize.

"I commend these students because this is a lesson in modern civics education that we can all learn from," said Rep. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix. "Their voices are being heard, and they're doing it on their terms. This is very exciting."

Students also used MySpace.com, a popular Web site that typically isn't used for social activism but which served as the launching pad for text messaging and cellphone calls leading to the protests.

Two days of unprecedented high school walkouts followed the weekend postings and messaging with Valley students joining thousands nationwide in immigration-related rallies reminiscent of the Chicano movement's college campus walkouts of the 1960s.

About 400 Phoenix students rallied at the Capitol on Monday, with nearly 2,000 returning the next day to demonstrate against federal House Bill 4437. The measure, which would make it a felony to be in the United States illegally, will likely change or die in Congress because of little bipartisan support.

High school students leading the demonstrations also distinguished the rallies. It may have signaled that the youths are interested in the political process and likely more comfortable using technology for more than simple personal communications, experts said.

"The fact that the student protesters relied heavily on technology to communicate - text messages, Web site postings - only reinforces the fact that these students are an integral part of the United States," said Maria Teresa Velez, a clinical psychologist and associate dean of the graduate college at the University of Arizona. "They don't see themselves as any different from other Americans. They don't understand why other people see them differently and see them negatively."

It started quickly

Throughout last Friday and Saturday, many online bulletins went out from young activists promoting walkouts and rallies. Because the "friends" lists for bulletins can include thousands, details spread quickly. By Monday, many of those messages took a calmer tone, encouraging students to think of the consequences of their actions.

The students walked out in record numbers, though administrators tried to stop them. What began as a mostly Phoenix movement spread to other cities, such as Mesa, Tolleson and Glendale.

Many Phoenix students said they learned of the walkouts and rallies through cellphone text messages.

"I got seven text messages on the rallies the first two days alone, even though I didn't go to any of them," said Luis Gutierrez, a Carl Hayden High School senior.

Thousands of local and national activists, artists, students and musicians post profile pages and pictures of their interests on sites like MySpace.com. Many used the bulletin feature to send mass messages and updates to e-mail friends throughout the day.

Although older activists seemed duly impressed by the young students' use of technology to swiftly organize, the teens seemed mostly blase about their use of technology.

"Text messaging is a way of life for us," said 16-year-old Daniel Yaez, who attends La Joya Community High School in Tolleson. "For us, it's not a big deal to use cellphones to communicate. That's what kids do."

Political savvy, too

While teens using gadgets to organize is a new phenomenon for Hispanic organizers, the technology itself isn't fueling students' activism, experts said. It's the proposed legislation that students view as anti-immigrant or anti-Latino that is sparking a renewed sense of passion among Hispanic youths, they added.

"A lot of Latino students are first- or second-generation Americans, and if these laws pass, it will directly affect their parents or their grandparents," said Joel Olson, assistant professor of political science at Northern Arizona University.

Some of the teen protesters are undocumented students who are eager to continue their education but who could face limited options if the legislation passes, the UA's Velez said.

"The immigration diatribe, because it's not even a debate anymore, has reached a certain degree where students feel their opportunities to excel and contribute are going to be limited seriously unless they speak out now," she said.

That high school students have taken the lead over college students on immigration protests has caught many by surprise, Olson said. But it shouldn't, he added, because unlike most of the state's urban high schools, Arizona universities are still largely Anglo, so the issue isn't as pressing.

"We're not used to seeing high school students act, so when we do, we're shocked," Olson said.

Stay in school

It only took the teens to show their elder activists the power of using technology to reignite a movement.

Still, Gallardo and about two dozen other Latino leaders gathered at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday to exhort students to use technology wisely by organizing after-school protests that would allow them to remain in class.

"We're pleased with the first day of student protests at the Capitol against this abusive legislation," said Rep. Ben Miranda, D-Phoenix. "But their youthful exuberance caused them to go a little overboard. They need to return to school."

By Wednesday morning, most Valley students seemed to have received that message. Nary a student could be found at the Capitol on Wednesday, with most Valley schools reporting normal attendance.

Phoenix Union High School District, where many of the student demonstrators are enrolled, said it had no immediate plans to revamp its policy on school absences. On Wednesday, schools used the demonstrations to engage students in civics education projects, said Allan Cameron, Gutierrez's Robotics Team adviser.

"Protests are good as long as kids understand what they're fighting for," he said. "We just want them to do it responsibly."

The student protests show that Latino youths are ready to be heard and are experts at using technology and the media to get their message across, Miranda and Gallardo said. Those qualities could prove useful in Latinos' struggle for equality, they added.

Gallardo said he wants to enlist other Hispanic leaders to help organize weekend and after-school events to sustain the momentum. "There will be a day when many of us won't be here to fight this fight," Gallardo said. "It's gratifying to know there are youths poised to step into our shoes. We just need to help prepare them."

Staff writers Kathy Cano Murillo and Carrie Watters contributed to this article.