Shared to Social Media on March 9, 2018
Around the country, students are walking out of schools to stage protests over the lack of coherent gun control in America. After a decade of escalating frequency and death tolls in the wake of school and other mass shootings, a generation of kids who grew up with a body count on the TV as the norm is saying no more.
Many people are writing think pieces about how you should not be doing this. Administrators wave the threat of suspension, pundits call you snowflakes, and teachers are coming out of the woodwork to write “don’t protest, be kind.” or “don’t protest, be wary of the signs.”
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.
So to the students walking out of school in protest, here’s what I have to say to you:
Don’t stop there.
Don’t walk out once and expect the world to change for you. Don’t skip class to stand outside the school for half an hour waving a sheet of loose-leafed paper over your head. Don’t listen to adults who tell you you do not have the right to walk out: those wielding guns have the second amendment, but you have the first.
Don’t stop there.
Use social media to connect to the students at your school. Explain to them why you’re walking out. Even if the interest of a crowd and something novel is what makes them join you, use that impulse to educate them. Some kids are gonna walk out for the wrong reasons. Make sure that by the time they walk back in, that they know what the right reasons are. Use the power of Instagram, snapchat, vine, (and whatever apps I’m too old to know about) to make the group of students walking out larger. Make posters before you go. Real posters, large, with paint and marker so they’re easy to read on the news. So no one can spread misinformation about what you’re doing.
Don’t stop there.
Once you have a group of students on the corner, hand out fliers with the contact information of your congressional representatives, state and federal. Record videos to post to their twitter and Facebook accounts. Pick one representative to tweet the video, then have all 50 students on the corner retweet it. Get the attention of people in power.
Don’t stop there.
You’ve got 50 students who walked out? Ask them to join you at the next school board meeting. Find the speech and debate kid. Sign them up to speak. Show up with 100 students from 4 schools. Do the same at the city council. Go to the state capital. Speak truth to power. The powerful people can ignore your walk out of school but they cannot ignore your walk into their office.
Don’t stop there.
Find organizations in your community already doing the good work. Seek out Black Lives Matter leaders. Show up to their rallies. Listen to them. Learn from them.
Look into political parties in your area. They’ll have opportunities for you to volunteer on the weekends: calling people in phone banks, canvassing for votes, getting petitions signed.
Is there a teacher’s union in your area? They would likely love to get some students trained in advocacy. They can teach you the language and the process you need to turn a group of people into a voice for change.
Don’t stop there.
Don’t stop.
I’m writing this in response to the “don’t walk out, be nice to outcasts” post I keep seeing shared. You don’t have to choose between protesting and being kind. You can invite the outcast to the protest. Tell them you want them to be safe, too. Remind them that we all deserve to be safe.
Not because they’re likely to be the next school shooter, but because your friendship and inclusion will build your community. It will make your life better. That kindness will transform their life and your own, but it won’t change the culture of violence in this country.
People have asked me how I can advocate for student walkouts as a teacher, and I find that strange. It is in all of our best interests that the next generation have the skills and the voice to affect change and address crises in their communities.
It is in our best interests that you learn now how to protest, how to lead a movement, and how to speak about issues that affect you.
It is in our best interests that we do not silence or stifle you. You need this.
We need you.
Don’t stop because someone mistook your justified anger for wanting an excuse to skip class. Don’t stop because school administrators and teachers are trying to coerce you into silence. Don’t stop because you haven’t seen the progress yet.
Don’t stop.
Gloria Adams 