March 2, 2018
On my way to the student protest for school safety, I was flipped off, called a “f***ing liberal,” and run off the road by a car full of counter protesters. I was scared beyond words for what would happen once we reached the square. But then I got there. Nothing could’ve prepared me for the moment I got up on that stage and saw, first-hand, the enormous amount of support we received from all throughout the community. It was spectacular.
There are repercussions of being an activist, both socially and safety-wise. It is difficult at times to stand for something when it feels as though everyone is against you. It can feel as though you are in danger when among those who don’t agree, and even despise your belief. But there, in that square, I was not afraid. There, surrounded by 3,000 members of my community, standing hand in hand with my best friend in the world, I felt like a part of something so much bigger.
I was raised in a family were I was taught to be kind, soft-spoken, and to go with the flow. However, for my eleventh birthday, my dad got me a book. It was called The Butterfly Effect and, in summary, was about how small acts of kindness could change the world. I was inspired to put others before myself, and help those around me, knowing they would pay my kindness forward until it reached the world changers. Then, with my fiery best friend as my muse, I decided I wanted to be one of those world changers myself. Flash forward to high school journalism class. We were expected to keep up with the news, to know what was going on all over the world. For the first time in my life I was connected to the 300 million people in this country alone and all that they were experiencing. It was terrifying. While I had previously known the basics of what they told us in school, (hide under the desks or in a corner, stay away from windows) I had widely remained unaffected by the prevalence of school shootings. The code-99 lockdown drills had always just been going the motions in case someone dangerous was seen on campus. I had never taken a moment to think about what that really meant.
Then, with my fiery best friend as my muse, I decided I wanted to be one of those world changers myself. — Karen Manley
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On April 20, 1999, thirteen people were murdered and another twenty-one were injured in the Columbine High School shooting. I was born in 2000 and have never known a world without campus massacre. In the last five years alone, there has been an average of one school shooting per week. I’ve never known anything different. But none of the moments I have spent under a desk or in a closet have prepared me for the reality that is school shootings.
There is an incredibly powerful video in my research for a previous article in which a man talks about how he almost became a school shooter in high school. One act of kindness changed the progression of his entire life, and saved the lives of many others. This warmth can be spread through schools today, and is crucial in creating a society of world changers. If a person feels connected and like they have a place, there is no reason to be hostile.
While the parties argue back and forth about gun laws, it is most important to spread love. The 17 students and faculty that were shot and killed in Parkland, Florida, and each and every life lost prior, have sparked a revolution that will not be extinguished through sympathetic speeches and life sentences. I refuse to let my generation be lost to the fear we experience every single day.
Through the process of organizing the student walkout with students across the district, I have met a ton of amazing people who really care about the safety of people in schools everywhere. The Parkland shooting was a reality check for students all across the country, and hopefully will become one for elected officials. I have seen a population of scared kids turn into unified front of world changers. We will not be ignored. We will be kind.
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