The children of this generation have never known a time without school shootings. They were born into an era shaped by Columbine, and have grown up practicing active shooter drills. They are familiar with the sting that comes with the news of a shooting, and the conversations about gun control and mental illness that follow. They have learned that no matter how many times stories like these flood the headlines of every major news source, it never gets easier.
When an active shooter opened fire on 32 people in Virginia Tech in 2007, parents held their children close and warned them of the dangers of gun violence. In 2012, when Sandy Hook lost countless of their 5-10 year old students to gunshot wounds, kids around the U.S. darkly wondered if such a thing could happen in their school. Now, this generation of students is all grown up. They have heard the myriad of ‘thoughts and prayers’ from politicians and family members alike, and they have watched the body count increase year after year. They have seen the mugshots of hundreds of monsters and the heart-wrenching images of sobbing mothers and fathers. They are tired of the violence, they want these attacks on their innocence to end.
When 17 people were gunned down at Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland Florida, the world expected the routine response of silent mourning. But for the first time, the students and the victims spoke out against gun violence and demanded action from their government. They have appeared in television interviews and have started groundbreaking campaigns that have touched every corner of the nation. They have given speeches and have organized marches and protests because they simply cannot bear to see what happened to their high school repeat once more.
Too late?
“People say it’s too early to talk about it,” said Parkland High School’s Cameron Kasky, an active leader of the #neveragain campaign. “If you ask me, it’s way too late.”
Though these students have been faced with backlash and criticism for their activism, they persist. They plead for their fellow students across America to band together and take a stance
As soon as news of the walkout spread, student leaders in the MLHS Young Democrats club began planning a walkout for MLHS to show our solidarity with Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The students met with Mr. Davies several times to discuss the message of the walkout, security, and other logistics. The administration was incredibly supportive in letting the students convey what they wanted when paying respects to the victims in safe compliance with school rules.
The Walkout
On March 17th, at exactly 10:00 am, students at MLHS, as well as thousands of other students on the eastern seaboard, rose from their seats, put on their coats, and walked out of school. There was a nervous energy in the hallways as hundreds of kids stepped out into the chilly weather. The mass of students that had gathered in the student parking lot slowly quieted down and listened as their peers read the obituaries of the 17 victims of the Parkland shooting. Juniors Ruhaan Mutsuddi, Kate Christy, Alina Siddiqui, Meghan Powers, Sam Amsterdam, Maddie Penniston, Mary Cabassa, Cortez Klopfer, Halle Korman, Julia Stanisci, Abi Somjen, Libby Perler, Donovan Menard, and Olivia Kloza were joined on the bleachers by sophomores Maimoonah Shafqat and Megan Beik, as well as senior Jeremy Anderson, to honor the students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas who lost their lives.
Students looked visibly moved as they heard stories of kids just like them who died heroically trying to protect their classmates. In the final minutes of the walkout, Kate Christy gave a message of unity, saying that it is our job to make sure a tragedy like Parkland never happens again, because we, the students, are the future of our country.
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