My Generation
March for Our Lives. Maybe it's something that you've heard of, maybe it's not. But it is something that you should have heard of, and it is definitely something that you should think about.
Most of you will have seen the news on February 14th, when there was a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. I know that I did, and I probably thought, oh no, not another one.
Because this is our reality now. We are growing up in a world full of terrorist attacks, like the Manchester Bombings, and full of school shootings. My parents grew up in the shadow of the Cold War and nuclear destruction, as do we, but now we live under an even greater shadow of death and destruction.
March for Our Lives was organised after the latest school shooting, when students decided that enough is enough. Twenty of the survivors formed Never Again, an advocacy campaign calling for gun control.
Just like #MeToo is causing change regarding sexual misconduct, #NeverAgain is causing change regarding gun control. Michelle and Barack Obama wrote, Throughout our history, young people like you have led the way in making America better" to the students of Parkland.
And we will. Young people, the teenagers of the world who are told that they are too young to know anything, who are told that they are too young to change the world- these were the people who all rallied together to end gun violence. These are the people that went out and told the United States, and the world, that enough is enough.
If adults know so much more than teenagers, why is it the teenagers who are having to sort out the world?
Youth Movements have always brought about change, and March for Our Lives was among the biggest youth-led protests since the Vietnam War. Estimates of participation in Washington D.C. range from 200,000 to 800,000.
Look at those numbers. And look at them again. Those numbers were only for the main event, and other marches were organised all over the world.
These are two really good clips about the march and the national walk out from Trevor Noah: here and here.
Moving on slightly, to the fact that children can sort out the world's problems. I help out at a Brownie Unit once a week, and I love it because the girls are all so wonderful and funny and happy. (I have actually written a poem about this, but now is not the time to read that). Anyway, one week, I was sitting with a couple of the girls, and one of the girls said that everyone should just love each other. We were talking about global warming and what's happening in America and the Manchester bombings (they are incredibly clever).
One seven year old girl understands how to fix the world better than adults do- this is terrifying. This should not be our reality.
But, then again, I am so proud of my people. Of my generation. I am convinced that they, that we, will create a kinder, better future for the next generations, and that when our children learn history, they will learn how we were the ones to sort out the messes from the adults.
Most of you will have seen the news on February 14th, when there was a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. I know that I did, and I probably thought, oh no, not another one.
Because this is our reality now. We are growing up in a world full of terrorist attacks, like the Manchester Bombings, and full of school shootings. My parents grew up in the shadow of the Cold War and nuclear destruction, as do we, but now we live under an even greater shadow of death and destruction.
March for Our Lives was organised after the latest school shooting, when students decided that enough is enough. Twenty of the survivors formed Never Again, an advocacy campaign calling for gun control.
Just like #MeToo is causing change regarding sexual misconduct, #NeverAgain is causing change regarding gun control. Michelle and Barack Obama wrote, Throughout our history, young people like you have led the way in making America better" to the students of Parkland.
And we will. Young people, the teenagers of the world who are told that they are too young to know anything, who are told that they are too young to change the world- these were the people who all rallied together to end gun violence. These are the people that went out and told the United States, and the world, that enough is enough.
If adults know so much more than teenagers, why is it the teenagers who are having to sort out the world?
Youth Movements have always brought about change, and March for Our Lives was among the biggest youth-led protests since the Vietnam War. Estimates of participation in Washington D.C. range from 200,000 to 800,000.
Look at those numbers. And look at them again. Those numbers were only for the main event, and other marches were organised all over the world.
These are two really good clips about the march and the national walk out from Trevor Noah: here and here.
Moving on slightly, to the fact that children can sort out the world's problems. I help out at a Brownie Unit once a week, and I love it because the girls are all so wonderful and funny and happy. (I have actually written a poem about this, but now is not the time to read that). Anyway, one week, I was sitting with a couple of the girls, and one of the girls said that everyone should just love each other. We were talking about global warming and what's happening in America and the Manchester bombings (they are incredibly clever).
One seven year old girl understands how to fix the world better than adults do- this is terrifying. This should not be our reality.
But, then again, I am so proud of my people. Of my generation. I am convinced that they, that we, will create a kinder, better future for the next generations, and that when our children learn history, they will learn how we were the ones to sort out the messes from the adults.
And so I leave you with some powerful lyrics from 'You're The Voice' by John Farnham (listen to it, please).
"We're not gonna sit in silence
We're not gonna live with fear"
"This time, we know we all can stand together
With the power to be powerful
Believing we can make it better"
You can go out and change the world for the better. You are capable of great things.
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