San Francisco , California ( CNN ) -- Before the protests of tuition hikes last week , a colleague posted the following : `` Need suggestions for protest songs . We have a DJ but need to give her a play list . '' The requests started coming in : Joan Baez , the Dixie Chicks , The Clash . I wondered about the overlap between songs on a professor 's play list and those on a student 's . So I went to class and asked students to tell me what they wanted to hear . The list included Dead Prez , Lyrics Born , B-Side Players and Erykah Badu , among many others . This is the protest play list of a new generation . My introduction to protest songs came through my mom . As the daughter of a Chicano movement activist , I attended protests against wars in Central America and rallies in response to police repression . Last week , I marched in solidarity with people across 17 states calling for well-funded , accessible public education . While at the March 4 rally , I realized that California 's public education system has had a great impact on who my mother and I are today . As a 15-year-old immigrant newly arrived in Los Angeles , my mother was placed in remedial classes because she did n't speak English . She struggled with the language but excelled in math . Yet her high school counselor directed her to work at a local tortilla factory . This was the early 1960s , just a few years before students responded to educational inequities through organized acts of civil disobedience that would later be referred to as the East Los Angeles blowouts . It was only by chance , and without parental or institutional guidance , that my mom enrolled in East Los Angeles College . Like many other low-income and working students , community college was her entry into higher education . It was not until her mid-30s that she enrolled in the California State University of Los Angeles while working full time . I was in elementary school and remember going to campus with her on days that my dad was working , even during an in-class exam . This was my first exposure to a university classroom . Since then , I have taught at the California State University of Los Angeles and the University of California at San Diego . I am currently an assistant professor at San Francisco State University . Watching preschool teachers and children participating in the recent marches reminded me that my education began at Head Start . My mom enrolled me in this program , which provided early reading and math skills and set a foundation for my educational development . I stand in solidarity with early childhood educators . At the protest , I watched high school students confidently take the stage and list their demands and hopes for a better future . I wish that my mom , as a teenage immigrant , could have aired her own frustrations with the 1960s educational system . Today 's high school students inspire me , and I am proud of today 's teachers , who support their students . I ran into some of my own students at the rally . One asked where she could hear the DJ playing her song request . We searched through the sea of people and realized the turnout was much larger than we had imagined . The protest play lists of multiple generations filled the air with music . Young fans of Dead Prez marched and chanted alongside older fans of Joan Baez . They all recognized the need for well-funded , accessible public education . Rising student fees have placed barriers between thousands of eligible students and their dreams of higher education . In addition , budget cuts and the subsequent elimination of course offerings have extended the number of years necessary to graduate . Many of my students have taken on multiple jobs to finance their education . I hear their stories and imagine my mom trying to attend Cal State L.A. today . Younger generations in the U.S. have consistently achieved a higher level of education than the generation that came before . But for the first time since World War II , we are in danger of reversing that trend . Students and educators view education as a public good available to all and will continue mobilizing to restore funding for public education . Will they receive support or will education become a luxury available to fewer and fewer people ? The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Katynka Z. Martínez .
Writer : Protest songs at education rally ranged from old school to hip hop . Martínez : Whichever generation , all were fighting for accessible , affordable higher education . Katynka Z. Martínez 's mom immigrated to San Francisco at thousands and went to college ; she could n't afford it last week . Rising fees keep thousands of eligible students from realizing their dreams , she says .