Advocacy Groups Call Upon Kennesaw State University to Drop Disciplinary Charges Against Student Protesters, Uphold the First Amendment
February 13, 2026
CONTACT INFORMATION
James Woo, Director of Communications, media@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Atlanta, GA – On February 12, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta (Advancing Justice-Atlanta), along with partners at the National Lawyers Guild Southern Region and the National Lawyers Guild Student Chapter at the University of Georgia School of Law, sent a letter to Kennesaw State University (KSU) urging the administration to drop disciplinary charges against students who organized walk-outs to protest violence by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Throughout January 2026, over 10,000 students at over 150 schools across Georgia, including at KSU, walked out of their classes to protest the terror inflicted by ICE against communities across the country. Rather than celebrating KSU students’ commitment to standing up for immigrants’ rights or respecting their right to exercise their First Amendment rights, the KSU administration charged student organizers with violating the KSU code of conduct. Advancing Justice-Atlanta and partners sent a letter to KSU administrators calling for them to drop the charges and uphold the students’ First Amendment rights.
The Supreme Court has held time and again that matters of public concern strike at the heart of what the First Amendment was intended to protect and that any action by a government official in response to protected speech can chill First Amendment activity. In an era where government overreach is at an all-time high, Advancing Justice - Atlanta, the National Lawyers Guild Southern Region, and the National Lawyers Guild Student Chapter at the University of Georgia School of Law call upon KSU administrators to drop the charges against the student organizers.
The letter to KSU is available in full here.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), and other marginalized communities in Georgia and the Southeast.
