standing at the front of the auditorium
my head drooping down silently listening
to the powerful chants that seized the
Sun Lee extremely cramped space the
words we’ve had enough
let us go outside we don’t feel safe in
our own schools occupied my entire train
of thought beating violently to the drum
I left untouched surrounding me students
with serious and enraged faces eyes
blazing for a change
student justices we faced to my right my
friend crying suddenly overwhelmed with
the realization that what were just
stories we occasionally spotted in the
news actually happened I was surrounded
by anger grief agony pain and yet
standing there all I felt was numbness
it wasn’t that I didn’t believe in the
cause of this protest school shootings
remain a serious issue in America
affecting hundreds of students who
believed that they were safe within
their own school walls and this protests
demanded action to improve the situation
it was the questions that a willingly
course through my mind that stopped me
from shouting alone will any of this
make any difference how are we helping
isn’t anything going to change the
questions that led to the reality and
the reality was that her protests was
held in a school auditorium and that no
matter how loud we were the surrounding
classes where the fartist our voices
could reach we weren’t making a
difference at the end of the day the
risk of students getting harm’s way was
still this
saying if not getting bigger by the
minute
coming back to class our daily lessons
continued and things return to normal I
wasn’t able to reflect on the events
that happened as the lessons on the
structure of government dominated my
mind we were given a 78th session our
minds to a room without an audience and
that was all there was to it we were
able to continue with our daily lives in
the so far safe environment that we have
the privilege to live in but something
changed my eyes need an exposure to the
cruel outside world that I always deemed
as fiction for the very first time
leaning on the tips of my toes my hands
straining to reach something that always
seemed so far away so distant they took
a bite of the bittersweet apple the
Apple that opened up an entirely foreign
world a world my curiosity couldn’t help
but explore the worst school shootings
in America how many of you in the
audience tonight remember Northern
Illinois University February 2008 where
a shooter entered a lecture hall and
killed five students and wounded 18
keep your hands raised if you also
remember Sandy Hook elementary school
Newton Connecticut December 2012 where a
shooter gunned down 20 children and six
adults thank you now how many of you
know exactly which shooting I’m talking
about when I mentioned the date January
23rd 2018
how about February 14th the same year
what about the one that happened
only 13 days ago incorporating these
incidents into my speech I wasn’t only
struggling with the constant urge to
look away but with the consistent fear
of having to add yet another recent
shooting to my list of not having enough
time to be able to list them all with
just a few days left preparing for the
big night I was forced to routinely
check the news for yet another terror to
add to my list and the overwhelming part
about all of this was the realization
that this has become a routine reality
hearing about a shooting that just
recently occurred no more contains the
element of surprise receiving the news
that your own child is no longer there
to embrace you and give you that
reassuring smile that makes everything
seem doable is now not shocking only
fear witnessing the life of a child that
was barely brought into the world there
was once this incredible journey of
discovery and experience whose streets
were once safe to play on the soul
without a trace is no longer
unimaginable today we live in a world
where loss and terror are normal this is
our new reality the night of the
protests was one of the very first
nights where I couldn’t sleep
not because of pressure from school it’s
a family conflict or hard day ahead but
because of night that it couldn’t wake
up from a nightmare whose presence was
deeply engraved into my mind
continuously coming back and overtaking
my every thought one minute I’m having
flashbacks about that wonky boy that I
passed by in school and my friends your
children and the next I am clutching
to my covers before me scar and blood
covered faces we dull lifeless eyes
violently shaking weeping mothers and
fathers with tears uncontrollably
streaming down their eyes their sense of
purpose shattered as violently as their
hearts I eagerly try to push it all away
suppress the heartache and the pain and
the pure agony but I know deep down that
it will never go away I am just a kid
I go to Lawton see Johnson Summit middle
school I’m in eighth grade and barely
managing to juggle school life with
family friends and sports and I still
have no clue what I’m doing with my life
school friends family crushes heartbreak
that was supposed to be my life in
eighth grade I’ve always had these walls
that guarded me from too much exposure
to the real world keeping my childhood
life intact as much as possible but
these walls stopped tumbled down and
left me shaking in my own bed my own
comfort zone and all I wanted was for
the walls to repair themselves and for
me to be back to what I knew to be
normal but our reality our normal is now
a brutal world in an article a survivor
of a mass shooting that killed 17 at a
Florida High School in February was said
to be calling for a boycott of two of
what he says are the biggest investors
in gun manufacturing Blackrock and the
Vanguard Group since the shooting him
and many other students for the parkland
Florida school anchored a massive rally
against gun violence and large masses of
people took part in similar marches
across the country their efforts led to
one of the harshest gun reform
legislations in Florida which raised the
minimum age to purchase rifles from
18 to 21 and extended the three-day
waiting period for handgun purchases to
include thumb guns but what the article
does not mention is at the same time
small changes like these were being
introduced to our society 43 states have
experienced an unprecedented growth and
gun sales in the last two decades not
even including private sales it does not
mention that the firearms industry makes
up a thirty-one point eight billion
dollar chunk of the US economy up from
twenty seven point eight billion only
three years ago it does not include a
fact that the country we live in
contains dangerous weapons such as the
rocket-propelled grenade which can fire
anti-tank rockets from your shoulder and
aka 15 semi-automatic rifles which are
now just another part of the easily
pertain above market schools
institutions formed to provide young
minds around the world the opportunity
to learn develop their knowledge
characteristics individuality and
opinions preparing them from the battles
discord and conflict they’re yet to face
safe havens symbolizing the freedom of
exploration and wonders of our
childhoods that is what they are
supposed to be Nelson Mandela was said
education is the most powerful weapon
which you can use to change the world if
the generations to pay are scarred with
the blood permanent tears of agony and
despair and terrifying screams that just
can’t seem to reach far enough to bring
change upon the world our time for
adventure expeditions frivolity and
freedom
replaced with the dread of taking our
last breath before the sound of the
final school bell weapons that once
stood for innovation and transformation
now replaced with objects of destruction
the lis behind nothing but permanent
scars and misery this speech has no
happy ending I do not have the ability
to let you walk out of this auditorium
with the reassurance that your children
are safe because unfortunately they are
not there is no guarantee that you won’t
become the next set of parents who are
crying in front of the cameras as your
world falls apart before you I am not
yet 18 years old by law I do not have
the ability to felt however most of you
in the audience do no matter what your
political affiliation is saving the
lives of children should not be a
partisan issue this November
you have the opportunity to elect people
who can bring change into our world it
is time to stop looking at school
shootings as a matter of politics and
face them as a matter of humanity thank
you [Applause]
my head drooping down silently listening
to the powerful chants that seized the
Sun Lee extremely cramped space the
words we’ve had enough
let us go outside we don’t feel safe in
our own schools occupied my entire train
of thought beating violently to the drum
I left untouched surrounding me students
with serious and enraged faces eyes
blazing for a change
student justices we faced to my right my
friend crying suddenly overwhelmed with
the realization that what were just
stories we occasionally spotted in the
news actually happened I was surrounded
by anger grief agony pain and yet
standing there all I felt was numbness
it wasn’t that I didn’t believe in the
cause of this protest school shootings
remain a serious issue in America
affecting hundreds of students who
believed that they were safe within
their own school walls and this protests
demanded action to improve the situation
it was the questions that a willingly
course through my mind that stopped me
from shouting alone will any of this
make any difference how are we helping
isn’t anything going to change the
questions that led to the reality and
the reality was that her protests was
held in a school auditorium and that no
matter how loud we were the surrounding
classes where the fartist our voices
could reach we weren’t making a
difference at the end of the day the
risk of students getting harm’s way was
still this
saying if not getting bigger by the
minute
coming back to class our daily lessons
continued and things return to normal I
wasn’t able to reflect on the events
that happened as the lessons on the
structure of government dominated my
mind we were given a 78th session our
minds to a room without an audience and
that was all there was to it we were
able to continue with our daily lives in
the so far safe environment that we have
the privilege to live in but something
changed my eyes need an exposure to the
cruel outside world that I always deemed
as fiction for the very first time
leaning on the tips of my toes my hands
straining to reach something that always
seemed so far away so distant they took
a bite of the bittersweet apple the
Apple that opened up an entirely foreign
world a world my curiosity couldn’t help
but explore the worst school shootings
in America how many of you in the
audience tonight remember Northern
Illinois University February 2008 where
a shooter entered a lecture hall and
killed five students and wounded 18
keep your hands raised if you also
remember Sandy Hook elementary school
Newton Connecticut December 2012 where a
shooter gunned down 20 children and six
adults thank you now how many of you
know exactly which shooting I’m talking
about when I mentioned the date January
23rd 2018
how about February 14th the same year
what about the one that happened
only 13 days ago incorporating these
incidents into my speech I wasn’t only
struggling with the constant urge to
look away but with the consistent fear
of having to add yet another recent
shooting to my list of not having enough
time to be able to list them all with
just a few days left preparing for the
big night I was forced to routinely
check the news for yet another terror to
add to my list and the overwhelming part
about all of this was the realization
that this has become a routine reality
hearing about a shooting that just
recently occurred no more contains the
element of surprise receiving the news
that your own child is no longer there
to embrace you and give you that
reassuring smile that makes everything
seem doable is now not shocking only
fear witnessing the life of a child that
was barely brought into the world there
was once this incredible journey of
discovery and experience whose streets
were once safe to play on the soul
without a trace is no longer
unimaginable today we live in a world
where loss and terror are normal this is
our new reality the night of the
protests was one of the very first
nights where I couldn’t sleep
not because of pressure from school it’s
a family conflict or hard day ahead but
because of night that it couldn’t wake
up from a nightmare whose presence was
deeply engraved into my mind
continuously coming back and overtaking
my every thought one minute I’m having
flashbacks about that wonky boy that I
passed by in school and my friends your
children and the next I am clutching
to my covers before me scar and blood
covered faces we dull lifeless eyes
violently shaking weeping mothers and
fathers with tears uncontrollably
streaming down their eyes their sense of
purpose shattered as violently as their
hearts I eagerly try to push it all away
suppress the heartache and the pain and
the pure agony but I know deep down that
it will never go away I am just a kid
I go to Lawton see Johnson Summit middle
school I’m in eighth grade and barely
managing to juggle school life with
family friends and sports and I still
have no clue what I’m doing with my life
school friends family crushes heartbreak
that was supposed to be my life in
eighth grade I’ve always had these walls
that guarded me from too much exposure
to the real world keeping my childhood
life intact as much as possible but
these walls stopped tumbled down and
left me shaking in my own bed my own
comfort zone and all I wanted was for
the walls to repair themselves and for
me to be back to what I knew to be
normal but our reality our normal is now
a brutal world in an article a survivor
of a mass shooting that killed 17 at a
Florida High School in February was said
to be calling for a boycott of two of
what he says are the biggest investors
in gun manufacturing Blackrock and the
Vanguard Group since the shooting him
and many other students for the parkland
Florida school anchored a massive rally
against gun violence and large masses of
people took part in similar marches
across the country their efforts led to
one of the harshest gun reform
legislations in Florida which raised the
minimum age to purchase rifles from
18 to 21 and extended the three-day
waiting period for handgun purchases to
include thumb guns but what the article
does not mention is at the same time
small changes like these were being
introduced to our society 43 states have
experienced an unprecedented growth and
gun sales in the last two decades not
even including private sales it does not
mention that the firearms industry makes
up a thirty-one point eight billion
dollar chunk of the US economy up from
twenty seven point eight billion only
three years ago it does not include a
fact that the country we live in
contains dangerous weapons such as the
rocket-propelled grenade which can fire
anti-tank rockets from your shoulder and
aka 15 semi-automatic rifles which are
now just another part of the easily
pertain above market schools
institutions formed to provide young
minds around the world the opportunity
to learn develop their knowledge
characteristics individuality and
opinions preparing them from the battles
discord and conflict they’re yet to face
safe havens symbolizing the freedom of
exploration and wonders of our
childhoods that is what they are
supposed to be Nelson Mandela was said
education is the most powerful weapon
which you can use to change the world if
the generations to pay are scarred with
the blood permanent tears of agony and
despair and terrifying screams that just
can’t seem to reach far enough to bring
change upon the world our time for
adventure expeditions frivolity and
freedom
replaced with the dread of taking our
last breath before the sound of the
final school bell weapons that once
stood for innovation and transformation
now replaced with objects of destruction
the lis behind nothing but permanent
scars and misery this speech has no
happy ending I do not have the ability
to let you walk out of this auditorium
with the reassurance that your children
are safe because unfortunately they are
not there is no guarantee that you won’t
become the next set of parents who are
crying in front of the cameras as your
world falls apart before you I am not
yet 18 years old by law I do not have
the ability to felt however most of you
in the audience do no matter what your
political affiliation is saving the
lives of children should not be a
partisan issue this November
you have the opportunity to elect people
who can bring change into our world it
is time to stop looking at school
shootings as a matter of politics and
face them as a matter of humanity thank
you [Applause]
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