March for Our Lives

We shouldn’t have to March for Our Lives. We should march in bands and parades, not for our lives (or other basic human rights). Gun violence has permeated American society that we no longer ask if something horrendous will happen. Sadly, it’s become a matter of when the next one will shatter our daily routines. We expect a tally weekly, monthly, yearly. Children are scared to go to school not because of a presentation or pop quiz but because they don’t know if at the end of the day they will go home, to dance practice, or piano lessons. Schools have started active shooter trainings as if they are art or music class.

A society that doesn’t value children has essentially sentenced itself to failure. There is no future without children who can flourish in schools and beyond. The Parkland High School students organizing is the next generation of activism that is encouraging and inspiring to watch. It sparked marches all across the country, including right here in Austin. Attendees (with whom we had informal conversations) observed the passion of the youth attending the rallies and sensed that a movement that could turn into a tsunami of progress.
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This the energy needed to foster permanent change through activism; however, it is activism that should never need to happen. Hopefully it will impact society such that future generations will not have to continue to march for their lives.