SLO students send valentine to Minneapolis school: ‘We stand with you and not ICE’
Students at San Luis Obispo High School mailed off a valentine meant to signal support for Minneapolis students who have been affected by ICE.
The idea originated within the SLO High Young Democrats club, where co-presidents Lucy Beck and Finley Pearse thought up the project.
The club invited students to sign Valentine’s Day cards that they then stitched together into one large poster, and mailed to Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis.
Pearse illustrated the card design, which depicted a group of protesters beneath a large heart. Inside the heart was written: “San Luis Obispo High School stands with Roosevelt High School.” The cards were then further customized with handwritten messages from students.
“We stand with you and not ICE,” one said.
The Tribune spoke with Pearse on Friday via text. She said the project started as a way to show support for their peers in Minneapolis.
“In a crisis like this, we need more American people, especially the young ones, to unify,” she said. “There’s more of us than there are of ICE.”
More than 150 students participate in valentine project
Pearse and Beck chose to send the poster to Roosevelt High School after seeing news reports on the impacts of ICE’s presence on the Minneapolis school.
Minnesota Public Radio reported in January that a U.S. Border Patrol agent entered the Roosevelt campus and “began tackling people, handcuffed two staff members and released chemical weapons on bystanders.” Administrators canceled class in the local schools for the remainder of that week.
The Associated Press also reported in January that Minneapolis schools were allowing students to attend class remotely in response to ICE activity in the community and related safety concerns.
“Experiencing that during COVID was something I wouldn’t want anyone to go through again, especially under more violent conditions,” Pearse said of the remote learning environment.
During a student-led walkout staged at SLO High on Jan. 30, as part of a nationwide anti-ICE strike, Pearse and Beck invited students in the crowd of student protesters on campus to sign the cards.
According to Pearse, the club collected around 45 valentines with multiple signatures and messages on them. She estimated that around 180 students participated in the project.
The cards were stitched together and sent out as of Feb. 6, Pearse said.
She said the goal of the project was to help educate the student community about ICE activity nationwide.
“That, and, in a political era where people can so easily turn to hate and violence, it’s important to show sympathy and kindness as well,” she said.
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