On February 16, Communities for Our Colleges (C4C) brought 133 students, educators, and community members from across Washington State to Olympia for our Presidents’ Day Lobby Day of Action — a powerful demonstration of statewide organizing and collective leadership.
Participants traveled from Spokane, Yakima Valley, the Tri-Cities, Everett, Kitsap County, Tacoma, Olympia, Bothell, Bellevue, Seattle, and South King County, representing community and technical colleges, high schools, unions, and community organizations. Together, we came with a clear purpose: to reject harmful cuts to higher education and demand bold investment in students, families, and our shared future.
During the rally on the Capitol steps, we were joined by AFT Washington, bringing our collective presence to approximately 200 people standing together in defense of public higher education. The message was unmistakable: education is a public good, and Washington must choose investment over austerity.
Shifting the Narrative: Invest, Not Cuts
The day began at the Washington State Labor Council, where participants grounded themselves in C4C’s mission and legislative priorities. As Aika reminded the room, the purpose of the day was to elevate student leaders, advance our policy agenda, and shift the narrative away from cuts and toward bold investments in our communities.
Students practiced roleplays before heading to meetings, preparing to speak directly with lawmakers about three key priorities:
- Invest in Higher Education — Not Cuts
- SB 6227: Parenting Student Success
- SB 5906: The SAFE Act to Protect Immigrant Students
At the rally, student speakers made clear that the stakes are personal.
Rosalinda, a first-generation student at Yakima Valley College, described how financial stress follows students everywhere. “That financial stress doesn’t stay at home. It follows you into class. It follows you into exams. It follows you into every decision you make about your future,” she said. “Free college is not a dream. It’s a choice.”
Clara, a high school student and daughter of an immigrant single mother, called for investment in both higher education and parenting students. “When you support parenting students, you support families. And when you support families, you support the next generation.”
Dacia, a parenting student raising four children, spoke candidly about housing and food insecurity. “Every month it’s: how do I pay rent, and how do I feed my family?” she shared. “If we guaranteed the first two years of community and technical college, it would help families breathe.”
Angelita, a student leader advocating for immigrant protections, reminded lawmakers what fear looks like in practice. “There have been times where I have skipped class… not because I didn’t care about school, but because I needed to stay safe,” she said. “We are turning nuestro miedo en poder — turning our fear into power.”
Action Inside the Capitol: Tax the Rich
After the rally, participants moved inside the Capitol for nearly 30 meetings with elected officials. Students led those meetings, sharing their stories and asking lawmakers to reject cuts and pass legislation that supports affordability, safety, and parenting students.
But the action didn’t stop at meetings.
Inside the Capitol building, students and educators gathered for a coordinated action, chanting:
“Tax the rich!”
The call was clear: if lawmakers claim there isn’t enough revenue to fund higher education, then Washington must pass progressive revenue solutions — including the Millionaire’s Tax bill. Budget cuts are political choices, not inevitabilities. Students demanded that the state raise revenue from those most able to pay rather than balancing the budget on the backs of working families.
The chants echoed through the building, a reminder that democracy does not live only in committee hearings — it lives wherever people organize.
Building Power Across Washington
Presidents’ Day is about leadership, and this Lobby Day made one thing clear: students are leading.
From Spokane to Yakima Valley, from Everett to South King County, students showed up not just to protest, but to practice democracy. They learned how the legislative process works. They built relationships across regions. They strengthened alliances with educators and union partners like AFT Washington. And they made it clear that Washington’s higher education system must serve the people who rely on it most.
Community and technical colleges serve over 300,000 students statewide. Cuts to these institutions widen equity gaps, weaken rural economies, and undermine opportunity for first-generation, low-income, immigrant, and parenting students.
The message we carried to Olympia was simple and urgent:
No cuts to students. Fund higher education. Pass the Millionaire’s Tax. Let us reach for the stars.
And this is only the beginning.
