On Saturday, March 24, I woke up in my dorm room bed, got up, put my sneakers on, took the T to SoulCycle, then had brunch on Newbury. A seemingly nice Saturday morning, though, gave way to one of the most moving and personal politically motivated and changing moments that I have ever experienced.
Taking a walk down to Boston Commons with a friend after my morning out, we decided we both wanted to check out the Boston March for Our Lives, the protest against gun violence and advocating for stricter gun laws. Being supportive of this movement and following recent school shooting tragedies such as the one in Parkland, Florida, I was excited and hopeful to see a large turnout at an event for such a debated and extremely important cause.
I was overjoyed, then, when I got there to see the largest crowd of people I have ever seen. And, as a girl from New York City, I don’t say that lightly.
Immediately, as I walked through the crowd, I was taken aback by the diversity, size, and energy of the crowd. There were children, teenagers, college students, parents, and elderly men and women holding signs, chanting, and joining in on the movement. It was clear here, at that moment, that each person present stood not just for the end of gun violence or the safety of our nation’s children, but for the protection, equality, and safeguarding of all people.
What struck me most about my experience at the March for Our Lives movement was the way in which it was run. Middle school, high school, and college students were running the show- it stood for them to say, “This is affecting us. We won’t stay silent, and we won’t back down.” I was overcome with emotion to see the youth of this country, who are widely regarded as lazy, taking a stand for what they believe and showing the utmost confidence and integrity.
As apart of this coming generation, it hit me at the march that we will be the generation to end violence. We will be the generation to make solid, tangible changes in our governmental system. Not because we want it, but because we realize the changing need in our country and the oppression, corruption, and inability of our current leaders to change for the better.
Each sign, each person, and each heart present at the march instilled in me not only the sense of fighting for anti-gun violence but for creating the tomorrow this country needs. I was thrilled and proud to be present for each speech, each chant, and each moment of taking advantage of our rights as humans to protest for what we believe.
I stood there in the cold, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people that Saturday morning, and realized why I was fighting. I was fighting because I was able to get up that morning, do something I love, go to brunch, live my life. Students around the country live in constant fear that their right to live their lives will be taken away, all because our government system is failing to protect not just our rights, but our lives. This march should not have to happen. Yes, it brought together hundreds of thousands of people all connected by the same set of values. But, the idea that we have to fight for our government to promote the safety of America’s children is preposterous for a nation that claims to be a democracy that offers not only representation, but fundamental protection, of the lives and rights of its people.
The March for Our Lives Boston march was a peaceful and democratic protest that was awe-inspiring. And, as we chanted over and over that day, “this is what democracy looks like.”
