Walkout on March 14th: Not One More

On March 14th, 2018, over 300 students at Branham High School walked out of their second-period classes, participating in a nationwide movement to combat gun violence. The effect was dizzyingly powerful. Students of all genders, ethnicities, grades, and political ideologies stood together as one, silent, but radiating unity. Exactly a month earlier, 17 students and staff members were shot down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day. The events that came afterward- a coalition of Floridian teenagers generating a movement to end gun violence around the country- reverberated thousands of miles and shook the foundation our own high school campus. Later that month, in the largest student-organized protest since the Vietnam War, the March For Our Lives made history.

But we aren’t done yet. While great strides have been made to combat this epidemic, there’s still so much more that needs to be done. Already in 2019, 27 mass shootings have ripped apart families and communities, and 1,232 people as of February 2nd have lost their lives to gun violence (gunviolencearchive.org). We are plagued by the fact that in America, 342 people are shot in murders, suicides and suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, and police interventions every day (bradycampaign.org). Our government, both locally and nationally, has done some work to battle this. But it isn’t enough, which is why we are hosting the second annual Branham Walkout on March 14, 2019.

We would like to emphasize that this walkout is not against Branham administration.

What the kids in Parkland started was a truly extraordinary movement that has impacted the entire country. It is our job to take their work and strengthen it in our own community. Students can make a difference and student voices do matter— we’ve seen what is possible when we stand together and demand action. And we know that gun violence has become a partisan issue. But we don’t believe that decreasing the amount of death in this country should be a stance that divides. We are asking all Branham students, regardless of gender, ethnicity, grade, or political ideology to walk out with us, stand with us, and unite with us so that no child has to ever go to school in fear. This walkout is calling for governmental action, but you, as an individual, can decide what that action should be. If you advocate for mental health services, walk out with us. If you advocate for gun reform, walk out with us. If you don’t know what should happen, but you’re against kids being killed in the very place they’re supposed to grow, walk out with us. Your voice matters. Together, we can show our government that fear truly has no place in our schools.

Walkout with us:
March 14, 2019
10am - 10:17am

For more information follow @branhamwalkout on Instagram or visit our website http://bit.ly/bhswalkout19