On February 14, 2018, one of your classmates walked into your high school, armed with an AR-15 automatic rifle and opened fire on students and faculty for just over six minutes.
According to ABC News, it took law enforcement approximately eleven minutes to intervene.
Fast forward three days, immediately following your heart-wrenching speech at an anti-gun rally in Fort Lauderdale, you’ve not only become the face of the March For Our Lives Movement, your boldness and outrage has sparked inspiration in minority groups and gun control activists nationwide.
Your commentary on the slew of violence over the past month has been nothing short of chilling. During the following speech, you go on to list the names of classmates who “will never” be able to walk down the halls, play a sport, or sit by their friends in class again. In a country that’s come to accept the occasional school shooting, this dramatic demonstration was hugely significant. By speaking out so valiantly on a tragedy that you’re extremely close to, you’ve effectively put a face to the victims that lawmakers and news outlets have ultimately come to see as a simple headcount.
Historically, whenever the topic of guns arose, the public would stand by to allow Congress and the NRA to monopolize the discussion. Until now, the regulations regarding assault rifles have only been argued on by those unaffected by their abuse.
By speaking out so explicitly, your words encouraged thousands of Americans to demand that Congress invites those who’ve been adversely affected by gun violence into the conversation.
By understanding the ins and outs of a school shooting from the perspective of a survivor, the general public is provided a clearer picture of where the problem truly lies. In your own words: “We know that they are claiming that there are mental health issues...we need to pay attention to the fact that this isn’t just a mental health issue. He wouldn’t have harmed as many students with a knife.”
In addition to rallying a nation behind you on this issue, I’d like to personally thank you for speaking out as a proud woman of color who is openly apart of the LGBT community.
Through your boldness, you’ve become a beacon of hope for minority groups whose voices get regularly swept under the rug. This generation’s minorities will see you as the green light for them to speak out and never take no for an answer.
I know you may not have expected to become the voice of a generation overnight, but I implore you to continue to lead by example and to persist with just as much strength and tenacity as we all know you can.
