On February 3, 2025, over 800 students at Dinuba High School were absent. They weren’t skipping school but participating in something bigger: A Day Without Immigrants. All across California, including here in Dinuba and nearby Visalia, immigrants and allies stayed home from work, school, and shopping to prove one thing: immigrants matter. They make the town run and are part of our families, classrooms, and community. The Original “A Day Without Immigrants” protest happened in 2006 when millions of immigrants and allies walked out to show their economic and social importance (NPR 2006).

So why aren’t we still talking about them?

Why does it take a national protest or a broken family to start a conversation in our school? Why are students who live in fear of deportation expected to sit in class and focus on homework while their parents are afraid to even leave the house?

This year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported over 142000 people in 2023, targeting communities and splitting families up (ICE Annual Report 2023). Recently, immigration raids began in places like Bakersfield and throughout California, tearing families apart. A student in our school told us that their father, who has lived in the U.S. for over 30 years, is now afraid to even go to work. Another student shared the pain of being called an “alien,” a word meant to make immigrants seem less than human. Their message was clear: they are not criminals, they are human beings.

Still, for all the courage and pain being shared, the silence in our school is louder than ever. We talk about prom, grades, and football—but not about fear, family separations, or policy. And that silence is dangerous. When we don’t talk about injustice, we become part of the reason it continues. This isn’t about politics. It’s about people. People who live here. People who work hard. People who deserve to be seen, heard, and protected.

It’s not about having an opinion or having it in the back of your mind. It’s about knowing what’s right or wrong and choosing not to let something be invisible just because it’s not spoken about. People tend to choose to do the easy thing, not always the right thing.

Let’s not wait for another protest. Tell the stories that matter. And let’s remind each other that justice begins with a voice.