A collective voice for reform
March 20, 2018
Despite witnessing more than 200 school shootings since Sandy Hook, millennials and those in Generation Z are often seen as too sensitive and sheltered, and quickly dismissed for their beliefs and ideals. With the topic of gun control on everyone’s mind, America’s youth must take their passion and become the voice of change.
On Feb. 14, seventeen students were shot and killed in Parkland, Florida. Seeing similar events on the news every few weeks, Americans have been desensitized to the trauma and shock. After nineteen school shootings since Trump’s election, according to ABC News, and zero federal legislation on gun control, the United States seems to have resigned itself to cycling through an ineffective, brief moment of grief, sending thoughts and prayers to the city in question and then returning to everyday life.
When it comes to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, those affected have insisted on breaking this cycle, refusing to fade away and spearheading the movement for change through social media with the hashtag #neveragain.
These teenagers are taking their trauma and channelling it into making change on a national level. In this time of controversy and division, the Parkland teens have taken the microphone made available to them and made their voice heard. While it’s easy for other students across the country to assume that their experiences are more meaningful than ours, as high school students directly threatened by school shootings, our voices are just as powerful, and as students we will gain traction amongst those able to make change.
Throughout history, teenagers have been the ones fighting against injustice when legislation fails to create change at a reasonable speed. When given the chance to make a difference, students have stepped up to the plate with the vigor and determination needed to grab attention and encourage change. Whether it’s the African American high school students boycotting the Montgomery bus services or the college students protesting against the draft for the Vietnam war, youth has never been an excuse for ignorance or inaction. With the issue of gun control after Parkland, students must once again step up when adults have failed to take the reigns.
However inspiring the Parkland teens are, their voices cannot be the only sound of youth activism in the country. As high school students, we cannot ignore the chance to address our own safety and deliberately call the country to action. While we might not be the ones shot at in February, students at Diamond Bar could have been in that exact situation.
As useless and futile as students might feel, we need to realize that the world is waiting on the youth to spur real life change when no one else will. Whether it’s taking to the streets in protest, pre-registering to vote or writing to legislators, collective, youth-led action should be on the mind of every student.
