March for Our Lives

March 24, 2018

Mass shootings have gotten more common and the impact of gun violence has been weighing on us. The February 14, 2018 shooting at the Margory Stoneman-Douglas High School in Parkland Florida galvanized that weight into teenagers all over the country coming to the realization that the adults around them had failed to provide them with a society that allowed for children to be safe. We all know that violence is about so much more than guns, but there is plenty that can be done to reduce this threat.

I personally am fed up and as I watched my kids reactions to this horror, right after the Las Vegas mass shooting, the Sutherland Springs Texas church shooting and the Orlando Pulse night club shooting, the Never Again movement and the March for Our Lives gained my support. My children have always gone to school in a time where Lockdown Drills were required. They now question whether it is safer to ignore a fire alarm in school than to go out into the halls. They have always lived in a time where "active shooter" was a worry. They have never known a time without a Mass School Shooting. It is wrong.

Lots of buses were organized and we got seats on one leaving from our high school. 3 days before the March a Maryland high schooler went to his school and shot his ex-girlfriend and himself. We made signs and got t-shirts and packed our bags. Bridget also wanted to attend but we decided the crowd and her size weren't a good mix, but Em, Rae, Meg and I all headed to DC. Jim wanted to go also but he stayed with Bridget and Johanna.

We got there early enough that we were able to get a good location, toward the main stage, but more importantly close to a big screen and speakers. People filled in every available space and overflowed around the March.  Bridget was definitely too small for the crowd, but she was on my mind. Most of the crowd was under the age of 25 and every speaker was 18 or younger. The speakers were impactful. Kids from all over the country came and told the stories of the impact of gun violence in their lives. Young men from Chicago and DC, a young woman  Edna Chavez from LA and an 11 year old advocate, Naomi Wadler from VA all joined the high schoolers from Parkland FL. Their plea for change is powerful. Alex King and D'Angelo McDade have stayed with me.  Chicago Speakers at the March for Our Lives . Sam Fuentes who was still recovering from her injuries during the Parkland shooting delivered a poem, she vomited while at the podium, wiped her mouth and then continued. They are not ashamed of their pain, instead these kids are standing in it and standing stronger because of it. They stand for peace.

We stand for peace, bodies pressed together, listening sometimes tearfully, singing in unity. We stood peacefully and mourned the lives of so many innocent people. We can do better, and we can do more. And we don't have to settle for a culture where children are being shot in their classrooms.

ENOUGH

NEVER AGAIN

The March for our Lives Mission statement is here: https://marchforourlives.com/mission-statement/