Marjory Stoneman: The Aftermath

Courtesy+of+Recode

Courtesy of Recode

Jane O’Donnell ‘19, Asst. Photo Editor

After the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida earlier this year, students from all across the country have spoken up and pushed for stricter gun laws in every state.

The immense courage of surviving students such as Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky, and David Hogg cannot go unnoticed or unappreciated, for they are opening themselves up to scrutiny and public ridicule while speaking their minds to save the lives of potential future shooting victims. This tragic event has sparked a national revolution among students, teachers, and parents alike, prompting marches, protests, and walk-outs in schools from every corner of the United States. The issue of gun violence and the need for stricter gun laws is no longer a political debate between parties—democratic and republican students alike are standing together in order to protect themselves and their friends from the dangers of gun violence.

On March 14, 2018, students from states such as Idaho, Florida, Colorado, California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Georgia, and more staged walk-outs in remembrance of the seventeen victims of the Parkland shooting, which was also a way of advocating for school safety and stricter gun control laws in America.

After a seventeen-minute, emotional remembrance of the victims of the Parkland shooting, many of the students at Marymount High School were inspired to do more. As a result, dozens of students—myself included—walked up and down Sunset Boulevard and through the UCLA campus, raising our voices for those that no longer have a voice or never had one to begin with. The next weekend, the entire country marched through the streets of their cities, chanting and waving anti-gun violence signs. After multiple speeches were given by students and teachers regarding school shootings and how they have been impacted, the marching began. My friends and I were interviewed by iHeartRadio and met lots of intelligent, inspiring people throughout the day.

The March For Our Lives movement cannot end here; families lost loved ones and students lost friends, and it will take more than a few protests dispersed throughout the year to right the injustices that have affected countless people across the country.