March 14, 2018 marks one month since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 14 students and 3 staff members killed and may others wounded or injured. Women’s March Youth EMPOWER is calling for students, teachers, school administrators, parents and allies to take part in a #NationalSchoolWalkout for 17 minutes (in honor of the 17 lives taken in the tragedy in Parkland) at 10 a.m. across every time zone on March 14, to protest Congress’ inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods.
We, the students at Bowling Green High School, have decided that this moment is too crucial and this issue too urgent to stand idly by. On March 14th we will walkout of our classrooms and on to the front lawn to protest gun violence. We will stand out there for 17 minutes. In that time we will read the victims names and have a moment of silence for those at Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
Following we will have a series of short speeches protesting this injustice.
We are walking out for ALL people who have experienced gun violence, including systemic forms of gun violence that disproportionately impact teens in Black and Brown communities. It is important that when we refer to gun violence, we do not overlook the impact of police brutality and militarized policing, or see police in schools as a solution. We also recognize the United States has exported gun violence through imperialist foreign policy to destabilize other nations.
We raise our voices for action against all these forms of gun violence. We students and our allies are organizing the school walkout to demand Congress pass legislation to protect us. We are not safe at school. We are not safe in our cities and towns. We need action. It is our elected officials’ jobs to keep us safe and pass federal gun reform legislation that will address the public health crisis of gun violence.
We want Congress to pay attention and take note: many of us will vote this November and many others will cast their ballots in 2020. The League of Women’s Voters will be present with voter registration papers.
Alyson Baker for Bowling Green High School #Enough #NationalSchoolWalkout action
WHERE: Front lawn of Bowling Green High School
WHEN: March 14th, 2018 at 10 am
BACKGROUND:
On the afternoon of February 14, 2018, a mass shootingoccurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High Schoolin Parkland, Florida . Seventeen people were killed, making it one of the world’s
deadliest school massacres. Women’s March Youth EMPOWER was founded after the 2016 election
to encourage youth to organize around issues in our communities and build collective power.
Women’s March Youth EMPOWER called for students, teachers, school administrators, parents and
allies to take part in a #NationalSchoolWalkout at 10am across every time zone on March 14, 2018.
Over 1,500 demonstrations have been registered with 175,000 students, staff, and parents have
participated.
