Parkland Students Are Saying What Adult Politicians Won't

In this op-ed, Teen Vogue weekend editor De Elizabeth explains why the Parkland shooting survivors will be the ones to affect change: they’re saying what politicians won’t.

It's been less than a week since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that took place in Parkland, Florida, but there has been a palpable shift in the air since. In the days that have passed following the February 14th attack that left at least 17 people dead, survivors have been using their voices to push back on the current presidential administration, demanding that action be taken. We live in a culture where gun violence feels far too common, yet many people have noted that this time feels different.

The reason, of course, has to do with young people.

Almost immediately after the shooting took place, the students who survived the incident were active on social media, blasting the predictable and underwhelming responses from America's leaders. When President Trump took to Twitter to offer his "prayers and condolences," a Parkland student named Nikki simply responded by asking: "Why was a student able to terrorize my school, Mr. President?"

In a viral tweet that has since been deleted, student Sarah pushed back by saying: "I don't want your condolences, you f*cking piece of sh*t. My friends and teachers were shot. Multiple of my fellow classmates are dead. Do something instead of sending prayers. Prayers won't fix this. But gun control will prevent it from ever happening again." (She later explained: "I hope you know I’m a grieving 16 year old girl who lost friends, teachers, and peers yesterday. I was and am still angry. I am apologizing for my comment but not for my anger.")

That's the sentiment that we're hearing over and over from these survivors: do something. And they're turning their anger into action. Yesterday, February 16, students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School marched outside the Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, carrying signs with the slogan that's become their rallying cry: #NeverAgain.

It was at this protest where Emma Gonzalez took the microphone to call "BS" on Trump and other politicians who continue to receive funding from the NRA. "To every politician who is taking donations from the NRA, shame on you!" Emma said at the rally, before leading the crowd in a call-and-response to shut down the common talking points from politicians.

Others at the rally carried signs with messages such as "This is about guns" or "We don't want your thoughts and condolences, we want policy and change." Students also used the #NeverAgain hashtag on Twitter to add their voices to the conversation, with haunting messages like this one: "In sixth grade, I made paper snowflakes and wrote messages on them for the children of Sandy Hook. Today, in 11th grade, I am left traumatized. Because to politicians, guns are more important than the lives of my classmates."

The activism of the Parkland survivors doesn't stop there either. Sarah tweeted that 100 of her classmates will be traveling to Tallahassee to speak with Florida's representatives about gun violence. The official #NeverAgain Twitter account also announced an upcoming event titled "March For Our Lives" — a gathering set to take place on March 24 in Washington, D.C. And students all over the country are planning their own peaceful protests later this spring in the form of a walkout.

Mass shootings are sadly nothing new to our country; millennials, for example, came of age when two students attacked Columbine. But over and over again, more young people are reflecting on the fact that they don’t know what school is like without attack drills, and without a threat looming over their heads. Young people continue to be the voice of this movement — and it’s a movement that cannot be ignored.

The fight against gun violence goes beyond the survivors of Parkland; young people have been pushing for more effective gun laws for years. In the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, four teens founded the advocacy group Teens Against Gun Violence, an organization dedicated to educating others and encouraging their peers to contact their local representatives to demand change. In 2014, a 16-year-old created Kinston Teens, a nonprofit organization aimed at empowering young people to speak out within his community, which experiences gun violence too often. Last May, a Facebook video went viral, showing a 6-year-old boy talking about the effects of gun violence on his community. “I really don’t want my family to die,” he said at the time. Compare all of this against the politicians who offer “thoughts and prayers” every time another shooting takes place, yet refuse to pass bills that could actually affect change.

Where there's often been a feeling of hopelessness after school shootings (or a dread that nothing will change), young people are bringing a sense of impassioned determination to the conversation that, quite frankly, was not their responsibility and never should be. “We're children, you guys are the adults,” Parkland senior David Hogg told CNN in an interview the day of the attack. “You need to take some action and play a role. Work together. Come over your politics and get something done."

"We are your future doctors; lawyers; writers; politicians; accountants; artists; entrepreneurs; dancers; managers," one student wrote online, adding: "We DESERVE for our voices to be heard and listened to." Another truly summed it up with four simple words: "We're getting to work."

Related:

• A Parkland Shooting Survivor Called "BS" on Trump and the NRA
• 3 Ways to Help the Victims of the Parkland Shooting