IT’S OFFICIAL. There will be a national school walkout on March 14th. This walkout demands action to finally be taken on gun violence. No more students deserve to be gunned down because lawmakers don’t wanna do anything about it. We are the generation that’s being affected the most by these weak gun laws, and WE are the ones who should be protesting about it. One student dying because of a gunman is one too many. SPREAD THE WORD, this applies to ALL students!!
@weavemama What if our spring break falls on that day? How else can we pitch in?
There’s another walkout date on April 20th! For the 18th anniversary of Columbine.
OKAY!!! REALLY QUICK CAUSE YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS!!
#1: YOUR RIGHTS DO NOT END ONCE YOU WALK INTO THE SCHOOL! You need to take a good long look at your rights and civil liberties because they will be called into question. I would strongly advise contact an ACLU representative and asking them about this so you are prepared to defend yourselves from a legal stand point because the shit is going to hit the fan and it’s going to hit it hard.
#2: DO NOT RISE OR RESPOND TO THREATS! There will be threats. They will threaten to put you in detention, call your parents, expel you, get rid of your extra curricular activities, et cetera. Anything they can to control the situation before the media gets involved or the school board. You must have solidarity within your participants, lock arms, form prayer circles, sit down and do not stand. Do whatever it takes to show a non-violent, passive approach to show that it is your intention to disrupt and draw attention to the problem without being physically confrontational.
#3: SELECT A SPEAKER! Sooner or later, camera crews are going to show up. This is where messages get mixed and it becomes very easy to loose track of your goals. Draft a short speech, under 30 seconds, and select a speaker for your school who will address the media with the concerns of the student body and the demands you have before you will return to school and your education.
#4: TAKE YOUR EDUCATION INTO YOUR OWN HANDS! This is not a chance to take advantage and get some time off school. The media WILL USE THIS as an excuse to discredit you. If you can, get teachers on board who will provide you with a curriculum that you can continue to work on from home. Do NOT GIVE UP YOUR EDUCATION! Refuse to participate in a government funded system of education which denies you basic safety.
#5: If you can, GET YOUR TEACHERS INVOLVED! Is there a teacher your trust as a group? Is there a teacher who would offer their support, voice and guidance during this walk out? Get them involved. I know it’s not fair, but teen voices are underrated and overlooked. Having an adult head the operation or at the very least being willing to speak out IN YOUR FAVOR ON CAMERA will go a long way to adding legitimacy to your cause! Remember, their lives are in danger too, and more than once a teacher has put themselves between the shooter and their students. Ask them to be a part of this if you can.
There is also a march on March 24 in Washington DC and there will likely be others in support around the nation on that day. So, to summarize:
- March 14 at 10am: 17-minute school walkout organized by Women’s March Youth Empower. This will be on the one-month anniversary of the Parkland shooting and will be 17 minutes to recognize each of the 17 lives lost there (facebook)
- March 24: March for Our Lives (website, instagram, twitter)
- April 20 at 10am: National School Walkout on the 19th anniversary of the 1999 Columbine shooting, this one will last all day (twitter, change.org)