Cause Transforms Woodbridge Teen Into Activist Leader

His leadership was remarkably effective at forcing schools such as Freedom High to acknowledge the rights and cultural identities of Hispanic students. But even as Lemus believes that Latino youngsters must combat harsh perceptions about their potential in the United States, by his own admission, he gets F's in some of his courses, falls asleep in class and hardly reads.

"I know I have to be a leader for my people," he said one recent night with friends at Brittany's, a popular Woodbridge hangout. "I think the perfect leader is a human one. You need a leader that understands his people. I think that's why people listen to me. People can relate to me. They say, 'Hey, he's going through what I'm going through.' "

Lemus said other political issues, such as the Iraq war, have not galvanized him because they do not threaten a single race and don't seem like things he can change. But when the immigration issue surfaced, he instinctively grasped for the megaphone because of his loyalty to his parents and culture.

His peers readily accepted his leadership because, they said, they rely on him routinely -- whether it's to break up fights or figure out weekend plans. His cellphone is all but glued to his ear most of the time.

"He talks to everybody. He gets along with every single person. If he meets somebody, he'll give him his cellphone number," said Karla Brizuela, 18, a senior at Freedom who promoted the school's demonstrations on Spanish radio and spoke at last Monday's rally on the Mall. "But he doesn't do his schoolwork -- ever. It's so weird that now he's doing something for other people, and he never does anything for himself."

Prince William school officials would not permit a reporter to follow Lemus around in school, saying they did not want to cause more disruptions at Freedom and draw attention to a student who had been persuading others to skip classes. But during spring break last week, Lemus showed that he was the center of gravity for a confederacy of Hispanic and black friends who all live off Route 1 in Woodbridge, about 25 miles south of the District on Interstate 95.

During their vacation week, Lemus and his friends typically roamed the neighborhoods and strip malls along Route 1, sometimes listening to Lemus's cellphone play what he called his theme song, "On My Block." They often gathered in the parking lot of a Food Lion or at the outside tables at a Checkers.

At Checkers one day, the back-and-forth was particularly sharp, but to the teenagers, the chatter seemed to flush out any pent-up anxieties about their differences. "I got a question for Spanish people," said one of his friends, a 15-year-old black Puerto Rican freshman at Freedom, whose father did not permit his name to be used in the paper. "Why do you all drink Coronas?"

Lemus was quick: "Well, how come you all drink malt liquor?"

The kids smacked the tables, snickering loudly, while Lemus and his friend grinned at each other and shared knowing nods. Then, Lemus and Trad, 16, headed off to the office of a chiropractor, who is treating their back problems.

"You guys were supposed to show up yesterday," said receptionist Stephanie Portillo, rolling her eyes.

"We went to Washington ," Lemus said, sounding slightly irritated that a fellow Hispanic seemed not to know the significance of the immigration rally on the Mall.