Stay a Part of the Activism Tide

By Julie Amoss

Since the Parkland shooting, the eighth deadliest shooting in modern US history, there has been an uproar of student-led protests. Several national school protests and walkouts have been planned and have reached national attention. Students are angry, and it seems nothing can stop their tide of righteous activism.

However, with these protests has come an influx of often poorly sourced and confusing information about them. A perfect example is the walkout on February 21. With many of its participants only being informed of its existence a few hours beforehand, the event ended up being “disappointing,” as put by Sophomore Bella Ludwig, due to a lack of student attendance. Accurate, timely information is key when a protest is being planned. As such, this is a compiled list of every upcoming protest and their individual details.

The Walk Out of School to Demand Safer Gun Laws 
The Walk Out of School to Demand Safer Gun Laws event is a 17-minute school walkout planned for March 14th at 10 AM in every time zone. Each minute of the seventeen represents a life lost in the Florida shooting. This protest is planned by the same group that organized the Women’s March on Washington. School specific information regarding the walkout will likely emerge as the date grows closer, but anyone interested in participating should talk with their third period teachers to make sure they will be allowed to leave. 

March For Our Lives
The March For Our Lives -or the Student’s March on Washington- is a protest planned for March 24. With up to 500,000 attendees expected, this protest is a major event that will likely receive a lot of national press coverage. A location has not yet been determined, but when it is announced a simple Google search will inform anyone of where to go. As the event is in DC, any students who wish to participate will have to have some kind of a ride. Carpools are a great way to get effective transport to the march.

National School Walkout
Set for Friday, April 20 -the anniversary of the Columbine Massacre- the National School Walkout begins at 10 AM in every time zone across the nation. Students are encouraged to wear orange -to add to the visibility they are pushing for-  and walk out of school for the day at the aforementioned time. There has been talk of broadening to scale of the protest; some have suggested that students stay out of schools until gun control legislation is passed. However, since these plans have not been officially recognized by the student-led organization behind this walkout they should not yet be viewed as an effective method of protest. 

Walkouts are an important way to ensure that student’s voices are listened to. Participation in these events is welcomed by school administration, so aspiring activists have nothing to fear when attending these events. Hopefully, anyone who ends up attending will have a safe and important experience pushing for change.