The best way to bring about change is to have conversations with your friends and discuss with the people around you. Be aware of these things and don’t be afraid to have difficult conversations,” a Liberty student who helped organize the December walkout said.

The December Israel-Palestine walkout was district-wide and completely student-organized; students worked together to outline their main goals, coordinate speeches and social media posts, reach out to legal teams about possible repercussions, and discuss safety precautions with school principals. 

“The main purpose was to inform the student body and fight political apathy,” the student said. “We wanted to spread awareness on this issue and hopefully get more people interested about what the issue with Israel and Palestine is.”

Despite a low turnout at Liberty, the walkout had more student support at Issaquah and Skyline. The limited participation, though, led to whispers debating the usefulness of the protest. This student, who wishes to stay anonymous, wants to counter those who are quick to dismiss the walkout’s effectiveness: 

“A lot of people dismissed the walkout thinking it wouldn’t do anything, but that wasn’t the purpose,” they said. “The point was to have students understand and care about the issue, and I think we achieved that goal because a lot of people heard about it.”

Like this student, teachers, too, have good things to say about the walkout. 

“I like it when students express their voices, and any of my students will know that I appreciate them sharing what they think,” history teacher Peter Kurtz said. “It is good to give people a safe place to express themselves and there was no violence at this protest, so it was a good thing.”

On top of the walkout, many Liberty students have begun taking part in boycotts outside school as a form of non-violently protesting the Israel-Palestine conflict. While many companies have been scrutinized for their alleged support of either side, Starbucks has had the most eyes turned onto them. 

“Starbucks isn’t a need. You can go to local coffee shops and get better-tasting coffee and not support a company that supports Israel,”  one student boycotter said. “However, people at our school still bring Starbucks to school and comply with the company’s beliefs.”

But, these “company’s beliefs” have been contradictory, whether that be from the mouth’s of Tiktok creators or news websites alike. According to Starbucks Stories & News, a website run by Starbucks, “We [Starbucks] have no political agenda.  We do not use our profits to fund any government or military operations anywhere – and never have.” 

So, if Starbucks is not affiliated with the war, where did the calls for boycotts come from? 

Following the Hamas attack on Israel, Starbucks Workers United created a post stating their solidarity with Palestine. To this, Starbucks quickly put out their statement exactly opposing this, directly claiming they disagreed with the worker union and sued the union for its use of their logo. So, while Starbucks claims they are politically neutral, the boycotts have continued as some continue to interpret their actions as supporting Israel. 

But, this interpretation isn’t the sole reason for the boycotts against them. In an alarmingly bad year for Starbucks, they are also facing increasing pressure from the labor union for allegedly violating labor laws.

And data shows that the boycotts are working. 

In the last few months, Starbucks has seen a sharp decline of 9 percent in its share price, with an overall loss of 11 billion dollars in its market value. While some sources claim this is not due to the boycotts, there has undoubtedly been less foot traffic, which contributes to the losses Starbucks has seen. 

“You can see that a lot fewer people have been coming into the stores. I’ve had shifts where three people came in for my full four hours,” Starbucks worker Danica Paulino said. 

Liberty itself has seen this boycott in effect, with fewer students purchasing from companies due to their affiliations with either warring country. 

“I think boycotting is a really good way to make your voice heard peacefully. Violent protests distract from the true message that you want to send, and boycotting ensures that people understand what you are standing for,” an anonymous student said. “Also, it’s not like anyone controls what you buy or don’t buy. The constitution protects this right and the freedom of expression.”

But, the effectiveness of boycotts has been under scrutiny for years.

According to Brayden King, a professor of management and organizations, boycotts often do not have a huge impact on revenue, but rather on the company’s reputation. Boycotts that garner media attention are what makes them effective, rather than the actual amount of people protesting.

The possibility of customers viewing the company in a negative light is often what drives change in these corporations.

One prime example of the importance of media attention is Starbucks itself. With news article after news article coming out concerning the topic, it’s growing increasingly difficult to be completely clueless of the boycott, irregardless of one’s actual stance against the topic.

“Do the wealthy start to care when their assets are being challenged? Absolutely,” Kurtz said.