The importance of protesting goes unnoticed by most citizens in America.
In 2020, the streets of almost every major city in America were full of protesters for the Black Lives Matter movement. In the 1960s, protests against the Vietnam War were popping up across the nation. In the 1950s, the Civil Rights Movement swept through America.
The common theme for each of these movements: They all incited change.
Protesting against the systems in power is nothing new to America—it’s quite literally how the country was founded.
While there are protests happening in 2025 surrounding ICE raids in LA, there were police officers there to enforce the law and keep protesters in check, including shooting rubber bullets and spraying tear gas onto them. There is an argument to be made that these methods of crowd control infringe upon the First Amendment rights of American citizens, as stated in the Constitution, which says “the right of the people to peaceably assemble.”
However, the people of America haven’t been united on an issue in a long time.
Is protesting going out of style? Is it still worth the action?
Protesting is one of the best ways for a country’s population to communicate their needs to those in power, especially when the population is under a representative democracy like the US.
Citizens are beginning to forget that the representatives in office are there because they were elected by the people, for the people. But what if the people are in disagreement over what needs to be changed?
While this is a relevant question, I can think of one issue that the majority of Americans believe needs to be addressed: school shootings. In Aug., shots were fired at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. Two children died, and 18 other people (15 children) were injured during the attack.
This issue crosses party lines. It does not matter what you believe in politically—the lives of children being lost while in a church building should infuriate you.
This is the first school shooting of the 2025-2026 school year, which is also the first year that several schools have implemented strict cell phone policies. Legislation was passed in many states that prohibit cell phone usage in classrooms.
Seeing legislation regarding cell phone usage in schools before gun control is frustrating for millions of voters, no matter who they vote for.
This is where the importance of protest returns, especially when it comes to the lives of children.
These aren’t just children—they are the future generation, they are younger brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, best friends.
I drove by my brother’s high school and wondered if he was truly safe in that building, which seems extreme, but those fears could very quickly become a reality.
To get the changes made to protect our children, protests need to happen.