I usually don’t share my opinion on politics. To be completely honest, I don’t really even pay attention to politics, and when controversial conversations come up, I sit back and shut my mouth. I do not share my opinion because I am afraid of people thinking that my beliefs are based off of whether I am a Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative. I have even kept my opinion to myself, because I do not want someone to think that I believe in something simply because I am black. I stopped caring today. I apologize in advance if my opinion offends someone, but I will not apologize for sharing my opinion or having an opinion that differs from yours.
Dear Mr. President,
with all due respect,
17 kids were murdered and I am questioning what you are going to do next.
Dear Mr. President,
Do you see our grief? Do you hear our cries?
Do you care more about your gun rights, than our children’s lives?
Dear Mr. President,
How much is the NRA paying you?
This must be influencing your logic that “guns don’t kill, people do”.
Dear Mr. President,
America has become the #1 country in mass shootings,
acknowledge the fact that gun control laws need approving.
Dear Mr. President,
Do you really believe that the solution is to provide teachers with a handgun?
Because I believe that instead of resolving the issue, you are merely creating a new one.
Dear Mr. President,
These mass shootings are terrorist attacks, but you’re convinced there is nothing we can do?
It must because these terrorist have the same color skin as you.
Dear Mr. President,
OPEN YOUR EYES!
In the past year, a bullet has taken 1,300 lives.
Dear Mr. President,
I am begging you to make a change,
pass gun control laws and maybe you really will make America great.
April 20, 1999: Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. 12 students and one teacher are shot to death.
April 3, 2009: In Binghamton, New York, 13 people are killed during a shooting at an immigrant center.
November 5, 2009: In Fort Hood, Texas, 13 people and an unborn child are killed during a shooting rampage.
December 2, 2015: A married couple goes on a shooting spree in San Bernardino, California, leaving 14 people dead.
February 14, 2018: A former student at a High School in Parkland, Florida, shoots and kills 17 people.
November 5, 2017: 25 people and an unborn child are killed at a small church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, when a gunman opens fire.
December 14, 2012: At Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, 27 people are killed...20 of these are elementary kids.
April 16, 2007: A gunman kills 32 people at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
June 12, 2016: 49 people are shot to death at a gay nightclub in Orlando. 49 people.
October 1, 2017: A man goes on a shooting rampage in Las Vegas and leaves 58 dead.
Did you notice how the numbers continue to increase? No one has made an effort to solve the problem and as a result, more innocent people continue to die. The incredibly sad thing is that, this isn’t even all the mass shootings...I just chose the most recent. I am tired of sending my prayers to families that have lost loved ones due to a bullet. When is our government going to be tired? When are the citizens of America going to be tired enough to vote for a change? I’ve been thinking about a way to organize my thoughts towards the Parkland school shooting, and for the past few days, I have been at a loss of words. I could write something encouraging, something that proves there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I could talk about how love conquers hate, and how the good in the world outweighs evil...but who does that help? It doesn’t help the parents that loss their children, the siblings that lost their brothers and sisters, the students that witnessed their best friends being shot to death. The idea that good triumphs evil will not heal their brokenness. Creating a new hashtag, #prayforparkland does not bring back the 17 precious lives that were lost. Yes, I will continue to pray for the victims of Parkland, of Sandy Hook, of Las Vegas, of Columbine, but I will also pray that something changes, because I love America, but it is hard to be proud of a country that leads the world in mass shootings.
My generation is generally frowned upon. We have been referred to as the narcissist generation, the lazy generation, the spoiled, and selfish generation...but 1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." Today in the midst of an atrocity, I am proud of my generation because we are setting an example, and we will not let our voices be silenced. I know that God uses all things for good, and in times like this it's hard to see His goodness, but a glimpse of it has been revealed in the millions of youth that are rising up and are uniting to make a change. The generation that is normally overlooked, is the generation that is finally fed up, and is fighting to make a difference. We are the next generation, we are the next Freedom Riders, and the thought of that makes my heart sing with hope.
There are many movements that students from Parkland High School have begun. Below are a list of ways you can help contribute to their cause.
https://www.gofundme.com/8psm8-march-for-our-lives
