Alyssa Alhadeff

Scott Beigel

Martin Duque Anguiano

Nicholas Dworet

Luke Hoyer

Aaron Feis

Jaime Guttenberg

Christopher Hixon

Cara Loughran

Gina Montalto

Joaquin Oliver

Alaina Petty

Meadow Pollack

Helena Ramsay

Alexander Schachter

Carmen Schentrup

Peter Wang

The victims of the Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting:

I would like to stand up here and honor all 141 innocent people who have died in school shootings since Columbine in 1999. Unfortunately, time will not permit it. The nation has given us only 17 minutes. One minute for each innocent life taken at Stoneman Douglas High School, one month ago today. At this moment, thousands of other  young students are standing outside of their schools, on the streets, in their gyms, cafeterias, or parking lots to mourn the loss of these 17 people.

With each school shooting, we become more and more numb as a nation. While the families, friends, and neighbors of victims spend the rest of their life mourning. What if I told you that there was an average of one school shooting a week in 2015? And what if I told you that there have been 50 attempts of mass murder at schools or colleges since 1999? A quick search on ABC news will give you these statistics, yet as a nation we are in denial.

These statistics are frightening and it should make us wonder why us students haven’t taken a stand before. But then that forces to ask why this burden has fallen directly on us students. Why hasn’t ANYONE taken a serious stand against gun violence in America? It is sickening that these horrible acts of violence can occur however it is even more unsettling people turn their backs after offering only a few short minutes of “thoughts and prayers.” It is no longer the time for “thoughts and prayers” alone. It is time for action and change. That is why we all are here today. The students of this nation have decided that enough is enough. The time to reflect and quickly forget is over. Our generation is setting a new precedent that starts with this walk out. We are taking action and telling this country that we will not forget about these shootings. We will use our voices and let the world know that it is time for change.

It is difficult to picture that in a country of 325,7 million people, one individual could make a change, but we are not alone, If we all come together, using our positive ideas, we will make our country stronger. How many of you can vote in the midterm elections this November or in the next Presidential Election in 2020? Almost all of us. Politicians will listen to us, despite how young they think we are, because we are the next generation. We have the power to turn the tide of things in the United States. It is important for you to vote. It is important for you to use your platform to let these adults in power know what you are passionate about: how important it is for you to feel safe at school, how important it is for sufficient mental health and background checks before a person can buy a gun, the banning of additions like bump stocks, or raising the gun buyer age to 21. They will have to listen. The time for silence has ended and the time for change has only just begun. Go to the Massachusetts State website and register to vote. You only have to be 16. Now is the time to use your voice and be the change.