“Anybody feel like their lives matter with Trump as president?” asked a student speaking through a small red megaphone. She was dressed in all black as she climbed up a platform outside City Hall.

“No,” roared nearly 200 hundred of her peers as they surrounded her and held up signs that read “My body, my choice,” “Protect our Muslims,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “Humans are not illegal.”

Students from Renton High School marched in protest from the school to City Hall Monday chanting “Not my president” following the Nov. 8 presidential election results. The protest was organized by members of the Black Student Union (BSU).

“I put together most of this protest so that we can all come together and show how we feel about the recent election,” said Dominique Mitchell, BSU president. “As a president, some of the things [Donald Trump] says he’ll do, he can’t. But having someone who has a mindset like that — he’s misogynistic, he’s racist, and everything else — isn’t right. We should all get together and say how we feel. We should all be able to make difference together.”

“I joined this [protest] because I’m Muslim,” said Ramala Hussein. “Our skin color and our scarves, us being Muslim and American, we don’t get enough recognition and we get looked down upon. This was a way of us showing that we care. We are aware what’s going on even though our voices don’t matter to people that older than us.”

According to students, the climate at RHS has been fairly peaceful since the election and there hasn’t been any public outcry.

“Most of RHS is people of color so it’s kind of neutral but at the same time there’s always a couple people that have other things,” said Mitchell “We need to educate them rather than get angry at them. That’s why we get together so people can see the bigger image of why we do what we do.”

RHS student council tweeted on Monday, “Thank you for those who participated in the protest. We are so proud of you all. #rentonhaslove.”

There will be no repercussions for the students who participated in the walkout, said Randy Matheson, Renton School District spokesperson. RHS administration is currently discussing how to account for the students who participated in the walkout, but Matheson said they will most likely be marked for an unexcused absence.

“From my observation, I was struck by the true civility of their words and actions,” said Art Jarvis, interim superintendent of the school district. “Students were peaceful and respectful while making sure their concerns were voiced. They were careful to discipline their language and their actions. I believe we can be proud of the way these young adults presented themselves as they participated in one of the oldest forms of democracy. They have helped set the stage for continued discussion and dialogue at home and at school. The world formed by current political decisions is truly their society. I respect them as they begin to define their personal roles in their world, and I encourage others to listen to them.”

According to Keilani Mitchell, RHS alumni and sister of Dominique Mitchell, the walkout is a positive step toward change.

“The reason why I came back was because I felt that everyone needed a voice,” she said. “Of course they have a voice inside of the classroom, but the problem is all of the students face so much more outside. The election results will affect the students more than anybody else knows. Since majority of the teachers at RHS are white teachers, and most of the students are students of color, they can’t experience those types of expressions. But the students do and that won’t change.

“The students had a similar feeling toward the election, but this, in and of itself will push them to want to bring about more change. I know that protesting itself did not do anything but the feeling of coming together and knowing that they hurt the same way and knowing they want change is really helpful in pushing them to make more change.”

RHS is one of the nearly 20 middle and high schools across the state that had student-led walkouts in response to the presidential election.