Students-
I know a lot of us walked out of class today. Personally I was in band. It’s the top band, competitive. Nobody wants to lose their place, or even slightly jeopardize it. This morning our director was on a rampage. No matter what though I was going to leave, even if I was alone.
Still, 9:57 and nobody was moving. 9:58 and the band plays on. 9:59, nothing. 10:00.
It’s hard to be the first person to stand up. Except nobody was the first person to stand up. Because at 10:00 the entire band, nearly sixty students, stopped playing. Put down their instruments. Walked out the door.
At my high school about 700 students walked out. We all had our own reasons. Personally I’ll never forget my first week of freshman year, when our pregnant social studies teacher was shot and killed. We were 700, all sharing in this one moment, remember the 17. Remembering our one.
In a democracy we’re told if we want change vote. Except as minors that right is not extended to us.
People can protect their second amendment rights, buy their guns. But they can’t pay for it with my life. They can’t pay for it with your life or my friends lives or my family’s lives or anyone's lives, because it isn’t there’s to pay with. They don’t get to chose our futures. Not anymore.
For most of us Columbine happened before we were born. For our entire lives school shootings have been a reality, not even a tragic one. It’s just life.
Today, standing up, walking out, leaving the song, the lesson, the paper, leaving everything half finished I saw lives. Lives that never got to be finished because they died instead. So today I was walking out to try to say that I refuse to do nothing.
It wasn’t just a statement either. It was a promise. A promise of no more. No more standing by, sitting down, letting the grown ups talk, waiting till we’re older and smarter and have a louder voice. Together our voice is a clap of thunder, so let’s make this an electric storm, one that lasts until something changes at last.
If this was a promise then I hope we all have the guts to keep it.
Because enough is enough.