Nile C. Kinnick High School students Michele Holloway and Liam Boyd helped organize a student protest at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, against anti-DEI initiatives, Feb. 21, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — More than 100 high school students — the children of Navy parents and Defense Department employees — staged a half-hour walkout Friday morning to protest Pentagon policies targeting diversity programs.
About 150 students at Nile C. Kinnick High School on Yokosuka, the headquarters of the U.S. 7th Fleet, circled the school courtyard, chanting and carrying banners.
“I love this school; I think one of its greatest strengths is its diversity,” said senior Chase Hassell, president of the student council.
“I think we have such a great multicultural community, and I think that it’s important for the development of all children — not just us — to have experiences with different people of different beliefs and backgrounds,” Hassel told Stars and Stripes after the demonstration.
The protest pushed back on a Jan. 27 executive order by President Donald Trump ending diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs created under previous administrations.
“These actions undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness,” Trump’s order states. “They also violate Americans’ consciences by engaging in invidious race and sex discrimination.
Scores of Nile C. Kinnick High School students walk out of class at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Feb. 21, 2025. They protested policies targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Chase Hassell, student council president at Nile C. Kinnick High School, leads students in a chant during a walkout at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Feb. 21, 2025. They protested changes implemented by the Pentagon targeting DEI initiatives. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Among the direct impact on Department of Defense Education Activity schools are the screening and possible removal of books and classroom discussions of diversity, equity and inclusion; possible curtailing of some school clubs and extracurricular activities; the end to official observations like Black History Month; and the possible cancellation of Kinnick’s annual Diversity Day on March 14.
The school was directed to “pause planned activities and events for cultural observances” to comply with DOD guidance, according to a Feb. 5 email from Kinnick principal Kira Hurst to students and parents. Diversity Day may be postponed or canceled, she wrote, according to a copy of the message obtained by Stars and Stripes.
At Friday’s demonstration, which began about 30 minutes before the end of second period, students carried signs proclaiming, “Diversity is Strength, Not a Threat” and “Diversity Needs to Be Seen,” and chanted, “Our stories matter!” until departing for lunch.
Freshman Beau Tran said the walkout partially drew inspiration from a Feb. 11 protest by students at Patch Middle School in Stuttgart, Germany. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was visiting Patch Barracks at the time.
“I was scared, of course, to actually do this,” Tran said after the protest, adding he was emboldened by knowing others shared his concerns. “It really made me feel like we could do this. We could make a change. We can make a difference.”
Nile C. Kinnick High School freshman Beau Tran discusses why he's protesting against anti-DEI initiatives at his school on Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Feb. 21, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Nile C. Kinnick High School student and senior class vice president Liam Boyd discusses the importance of diversity during a protest outside the school at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Feb. 21, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
In Belgium, American schools at NATO headquarters removed Harriet Tubman posters, origami cranes and art displays that included rainbows ahead of an expected visit by the defense secretary’s wife, Jennifer Rauchet Hegseth, The New York Times reported Feb. 13, citing anonymous sources. Her schedule was cut short, and she visited one U.S. and one Canadian school, the newspaper reported.
The Kinnick protest was organized through social media and the leaders of student groups, Hassell said.
Hurst, after Friday’s protest, declined to comment on the event itself, but said students coordinated with the school administration ahead of time.
She also said books at Kinnick are not yet banned but are under review by DODEA.
Hurst declined to provide examples of books under review and said any further inquiries would require a Freedom of Information Act request.
DODEA-Pacific spokeswoman Miranda Ferguson did not immediately respond to phone and email request for comment Friday afternoon.
