History has been filled with so many individuals who bravely choose to break the silence in order to stand up for justice and equality. We can even see this today through movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp that have encouraged others to break their silence regarding sexual assault and harassment. No matter one’s age, religion, socioeconomic background, gender, and even age, more people are stepping forward to break the silence. After the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School school shooting on February 14th, many individuals, including parents, are urging our government officials to protect their children. Recently, the specific group that has received the most attention and scrutiny are young people, specifically high school students.
The Florida high school students who have been affected by this horrific event have been peacefully protesting, speaking on the news, and are encouraging others to speak out as well. In order to stand in solidarity and support with the Florida students, high school students in different states like Texas have also called for action. At many of these protests, students are holding up signs regarding the government’s desire to protect guns but not children.
While I am so inspired by these young people for their organization and boldness, not everyone feels this way. Many politicians and public figures have stated that young people, especially millennials, are lazy and when it comes to this situation, the students are seeking attention. They have also said that the Florida students are acting irrationally due to the emotional stress and trauma they lived through. While parents are seeking to protect their children and other students, President Trump has proposed an idea for teachers to begin carrying guns. Schools are even threatening to carry our disciplinary measures in order to discourage students from protesting.
Amongst the discouragement and false claims from public figures, young people all over the country have not only continued to fight, they have disputed these claims. Students have expressed their fears going to school, have expressed their desire to protect all students, and the need for the government to stop placing guns before the lives of people.
Florida Student Tanzil Phillip stated, “We are not afraid of you, we will not be silenced by anything you have to say. We are here, our voices are loud, and we’re not stopping until change happens.”
Another student, Emma Gonzalez called out Trump and other politicians and stated, “Stop blaming the victims for something that was the shooter’s fault”.
Not all people in the media have criticized these high school students. Individuals like Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Colbert, and the Clooney family have shown their support through financial donations and on television.
Colbert stated, “Someone else may be in power, but this country belongs to them. And there’s reason for hope. Look at the Me Too movement: A lot of men in power did not see that coming. But it proved that change can happen overnight.” Colbert also explained that these students should not be silenced due to their age, instead, others should listen to them.
To all of those students who have been protesting, you are seen and your voices are valuable. Continue to break the silence and challenge those in authority. How are you contributing to the silence? Are you ready to break that silence?