Making history

Government officials are investigating "wardrobe malfunctions" that happened during India Fashion week. School officials are dilly-dallying with meal allowances in Zambia. And mountaintop removal is happening in West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.\nWhy I'm sharing this randomness: because at the root of each situation, students are protesting. Whether you were moved by the lunch-counter activism of the Civil Rights Movement, or saw the light between the pages of a book about Tiananmen Square -- you should know the power, possibilities and spirit of student protests. That in mind, I'm baffled by parents' reactions to a Washington-area school system decision giving students the option to fulfill parts of their 60-hour community service requirement by attending protests against legislation that would mark illegal immigrants as felons.\nIt's customary for students in the school system to fulfill their hours by working on a supervised political campaign or joining in on any number of activities sponsored by secular, nonprofit, tax-exempt and school-approved organizations.\nBut after the school's decision to credit students for joining the march at the Washington Monument, some parents are raising sand saying that the school should focus more on "education not political advocacy," as it's been said.\nStudent involvement is being organized by CASA -- a group that works with Latino communities. For that reason, some parents are saying that the Montgomery County school system is allowing outside political groups to push their political agenda onto the students' impressionable minds.I say, that's pure foolishness. \nIf it isn't obvious by the more than 30 students who recently walked out of class in North Lake Tahoe or the tens of thousands who were marching at the same time in places like San Francisco, San Diego, all across California and beyond, then upset parents should take a moment to recognize that the political agendas of CASA are many students' political agendas as well.\nQuite frankly, it wasn't somebody else's agenda that had Latino students organizing protests on MySpace and through text messages.\nSo it won't be coercion from CASA that has them yelling "We are not criminals" like the students at Stony Brook University did following a class walkout. It won't be coercion that has them holding up signs stating "We are not terrorists" like students did at Patterson High School in Maryland. \nThese are young activists who are more than upset about the possibilities of US House Bill 4437 -- they're affected.\nMontgomery County students who attend today's march will be forgoing a day of their spring break to protest on behalf of friends and family -- mothers and fathers who could be taken, neighbors who might no longer live next door.\nI applaud the Montgomery County school system that by way of its spokesman made one message clear: "Advocacy is OK."\nIt is an example of education at its best. Today's lesson: Don't just learn American history -- make it.