On March 14, 2018, the Women’s March Youth EMPOWER group has planned for a national school walkout at 10 a.m. at all time-zones for 17 minutes: one minute for each life that was taken during the Douglas High School mass shooting. There are some students who are afraid that they will get suspended if they participate and here’s why they shouldn’t be.
Image courtesy of Twitter
The Douglas High School shooting in Florida was a horrid day, taking place on Valentine’s Day and killing 17 innocent children. Wednesday, March 14, 2018 will be the planned day that students, and even staff, walk out of their schools to protest for gun control. Although there are a lot of students concerned about a potential suspension, there are so many reasons as to why fear should not get in their way towards their fight for justice.
Being active in the community is so important. Whether it is through volunteering or through activism, this march is another way to contribute to society. A person may feel as though they are not doing much, but it is a small contribution to a big cause. Every person counts, just like how every vote counts.
Already, there are so many colleges that will not let a student’s suspension affect their acceptance if it does end up happening to them. Their application will not be thrown out and their acceptance will not be revoked by these schools if they happen to get in trouble due to their participation in the walkout. Students should not be afraid of their college chances because fighting for what they believe in is not something universities will shun them for.
If they do end up getting suspended, they can write an incredibly excellent college essay on it. Colleges want to see passion, they want to see drive, they want to see if someone is a good fit for their school, but most importantly, they want to see if someone can bring change. An essay titled Why I Got Suspended for Marching Against the NRA sounds a whole lot better than What I Learned as a Volunteer or Never Giving Up on Football.
Being silent is just as bad as supporting the NRA. Taking action is what the United States is about. We are lucky to be living in a country where we are allowed to voice our opinions and not be arrested for it, or worse, killed. Yes, free speech does mean that dangerous people can voice their opinions too, but it does not mean that we can’t. Go out and march, go out and protest because silence is just as deadly as being cruel.
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” – Martin Luther King Jr.