If you thought the battle against guns was over, guess again. Today’s current generation of students meant business when they began their fight and they want everyone to know they absolutely will not stop until the battle is won.
Current Events
On Friday, thousands of students across the US walked out of classrooms and took to the streets for a renewed protest against gun violence. The demonstrations were part of a 2nd walkout staged by students this year and the 3rd overall event when including the MARCH FOR OUR LIVES rally last month. The walkout purposely coincided with the 19th anniversary of the deadly 1999 mass shooting at Colorado’s Columbine High School.
Shortly after the 10am walkout began, students took to social media to verbalize their thoughts regarding gun violence in America.
“I could have lost my life in that moment,” 17-year-old Brianna Lee of Chicago said about her first terrifying brush with gun violence when she and her family escaped bullets while leaving church one Sunday morning when she was only 5.
“I’m not learning my subjects — I’m learning how to literally survive,” 14-year-old Marusya Airumian, an 8th grader at Takoma Park Middle School in Silver Spring, MD said while carrying a sign that read: “I should be writing an essay, not my will.”
Her mother called the school to excuse her so she could participate in the walkout.
“I didn’t want to show up and then disrupt school,” Marusya said. “This isn’t between us and our school — it’s between us and our government.”
Marusya and her mother attended the March for Our Lives rally in Washington last month. She returned to Washington on Friday to march with 100 other students in front of The White House.
“We all have lives ahead of us. When I’m in a lockdown drill, I’m not learning my subjects — I’m learning how to literally survive,” she said. “Children shouldn’t have to die because people in the government are lazy.”
Marusya added that she believes gun ownership should require stricter background checks. She also said she believes arming teachers with guns would be silly.
“That’s not the solution,” Marusya said. “I would feel even more unsafe, and it would cost a lot of money that should be spent on school supplies.”
Current Events
Madeline Miller, a 16-year-old junior at Chamblee High School in Chamblee, GA told her parents she would be visiting potential college choice Georgia State University for the day. Instead, she was actually demonstrating outside the Georgia State Capitol.
“In America, we have the right to be out here and to protest and to show what we want. This has all been a really big culmination of what we’ve been wanting.”
Madeline wanted it known that she is adamant about her beliefs.
“I think right now, there’s so much that’s been building up inside of us,” she said. “I remember the moment when my mom said that there was a shooting at Sandy Hook. I just started crying in the car. I’ve been so hurt by this — and all of us have — and we weren’t even there when it happened.”
She added, “Just knowing that people like me have the voice and the power to change this for our kids and for the generation, we’re taking this moment and we’re going to use it.”
When 10-year-old Delilah Matrese heard that 2,500 students from across the country would be participating in a school walk out, she asked her parents if she could join. None of the other students or faculty at Hamilton Elementary in Carlisle, PA were willing to walk out, so Delilah’s dad, Stephen, decided to support his daughter’s social activism.
“My husband had to go to her school, sign her out, and stay with her,” Melissa Matrese said, adding that her daughter “didn’t care about being the only one because ‘Mommy, this is too important to be embarrassed.'”
Today my husband stood by my 10 y/o daughter because no one else in her school would. #NationalSchoolWalkout pic.twitter.com/Ptbg6nBdRT
— Melissa Matrese (@MelliBitch) April 20, 2018
In case you haven’t recognized it yet or figured it out already, today’s students are the “chosen generation.” They don’t care how many months have passed since the Parkland school shooting occurred in Florida. They don’t care how many Fox News personalities have made fun of them or have tried to deter them from their goal. They are SERIOUS about ending gun violence. They are SERIOUS about greater gun control. They are SERIOUS about not allowing the lives of those at Columbine, at Sandy Hook, at Parkland, and everywhere in between, to have been lost in vain!
“Just knowing that people like me have the voice and the power to change this for our kids and for the generation, we’re taking this moment and we’re going to use it.” – Madeline Miller, 16 y/o student I commend ALL of the youths who have, thus far, remained committed to what they’re fighting for. America is a very reactionary society. And even then we only Re-act in the moment. Let enough time go by without effectively addressing any “Serious” issue (whatever the issue may be) and it’s highly UN-likely the issue will ever be addressed. Most Americans seem to have a very short attention span (it’s absolutely true of the American news media). Elected officials know this. “Special Interests” groups know this. Time will surely tell IF these kids truly understand the enormous task they’ve taken on – if they truly have staying power in pursuing their ultimate goal… Read more »