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| Link to Film |
Friends,
This film, The Walkout, is phenomenal. It provides a quick, consumable history on inequality and school finance in Texas, while centering the courage of young Mexican American students who refused to accept an unjust status quo. It's just under 32 minutes such that it's great from community conversations and the school and college classroom.
It's awesome to see a good number of friends and familiar faces in the film.
The Walkout shines a light on a pivotal but often overlooked chapter in Texas history: the 1968 student walkout at Edgewood High School in San Antonio’s Westside. Faced with underfunded classrooms, uncertified teachers, and crumbling facilities, these students—many still in their teens—organized alongside their families and community leaders to demand better.
What they sparked was more than a one-day protest; it became a catalyst for a statewide conversation on school funding and equity that still echoes today.
Told through the voices of the original students, community elders, and historians, the film blends personal testimony, archival footage, and present-day reflections into a deeply moving narrative. We hear directly from those who lived it—about the indignities they endured, the risks they took, and the pride they felt in standing up for their education. It’s not just a history lesson—it’s a reminder of the transformative power of youth-led resistance and community solidarity.
What makes The Walkout so timely is its unflinching connection between past and present. The funding inequities the Edgewood students fought against remain a pressing issue in Texas today. Watching their story unfold, you can’t help but draw the line between 1968 and our current struggles over fair funding, equitable access, and the right to a quality education for every child.
This, despite Greg Abbott's recent passage of school vouchers (Senate Bill 2) that will siphon off dollars from public schools that will get directed toward wealthy families to cover their children's private school education.
It's shocking to learn, for example, that while Texas is the 8th largest economy in the world, it ranks 46th in the nation in per pupil funding. This is our future workforce, my friends. We need to invest in them—especially in this economy and this moment where so many of our institutions and safety nets are getting dismantled.
If you care about education, justice, or the untold stories of Mexican American activism, The Walkout is essential viewing. It is a testament to how local action can reverberate far beyond its place and time. I do like how it ends on a hopeful note that doubles as a rallying cry to keep on keepin' on in the struggle for equity in our schools—and by extension, the broader society.
Sí se puede! Yes we can!
In fact, we must!
-Angela Valenzuela
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| A visual on property redlining that gets to the heart of school funding inequities. |
