Beginning mid-February, posters with slogans opposing immigration enforcement appeared throughout the school: hanging on lockers, taped on the walls and in classrooms. They creatively depict messaging against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement through various phrases, including “melting ICE,” “abolish ICE” and “ICE will fall.”
Members of the Latinos Unidos club were provided with these designs from Justseeds, an organization that supports social change and activism through art. U-High English teacher and Latinos Unidos faculty adviser Sari Hernández passed them out during a club meeting, and she said many students have approached her to request posters to put up on their lockers since.
The posters quickly became a tangible way for people to raise awareness about ICE, and to hold space for those impacted by the current situation.
“These art pieces echo what our club believes,” Ms. Hernández said, “and stand for being good neighbors in a time of crisis.”
Senior Camila Bravo, a co-president of Latinos Unidos, said that a 5-year-old boy being detained by immigration agents in Minnesota prompted them to speak up.
“Our club sponsor brought them up and asked if anyone would like to put them on their locker after we heard the news,” Camila said.
Members of Latinos Unidos were searching for a way to start a conversation, and this artwork provided one such opportunity. The initiative was another step in a continued effort to further inform the community about ICE.
After downloading and printing the posters, the club members sorted through them, aiming to find a balance between representing their club’s beliefs and following school rules in terms of poster content.
“The part that I did as the faculty sponsor was looking through all of the flyers to make sure that none of them were counter to the student handbook guidelines of what you’re allowed to do to decorate your locker,” Ms. Hernández said.
For Camila, the posters offer a way to demonstrate her stance in current events.
“It’s an issue that really affected me and that I care about,” Camila said, “and it’s a nice way to show solidarity and where you lie.”
