When I was in high school, all I worried about was what I was going to do in the future. Nowadays, students have to worry about tomorrow. They have to worry about if they’ll see their best friend tomorrow, if the person they knew will be the same tomorrow or if someone could come in tomorrow and change their lives forever.
Since the latest shooting in Florida, there have been too many to count. Too many students have been killed, too many teachers’ lives have been taken away and too many families whose lives have been changed forever. Each moment carving a poignant moment in the country’s lives driving us to indifference and a constant fear reverberating in our hearts. We would send our most sincere prayers and mourn the lost of another and watch the news go by, telling untold stories and reciting facts until we turn to safer alternatives rather than feeling the constant pain.
Why do they deserve to die? What drove the someone to do such an act? How come there are so many? What is currently being done? What’s going to happen next?
As we cycle through Presidents and seasons of law making, the only obvious answer we’ve been hearing besides the cry of our dead children is the lack of response. Should a student put on their résumé, “survived a mass school shooting”? Should they become parents and fear for their children’s lives even after begging those with power to just do something?
We’re not asking for much. All we want is to ensure the safety of not only our children, but for our country. Having students walk through metal detectors, carry clear backpacks and learn about guns and the history will help, but it won’t solve anything. Families will continue to become broken, lives will be lost and all there seems fit is to just wait and see what tomorrow brings.
As brave and empowered people #MarchforOurLives through the streets of D.C and cities around the country, let’s remember that #NeverAgain will our children fear for their lives at school. #NeverAgain will another mass school shooting need to happen before our eyes are opened again. #NeverAgain will legislators ignore our plea.
Stay strong.
For More Information:
- March for Our Lives Official Website
- Buy Some Merchandise
- Everytown for Gun Safety Merchandise
- What You Need to Know by Thrillist
- 7 Ways to Support March for Our Lives If You Can’t Be on the Ground
- Sign the Petition
- Everything You Need to Know to Get Involved in Your City by Vogue
- What You Should Know About March for Our Lives by CNN
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Alice
Perpetual Ponderings of Alice Chen 