by Breana Perez // Staff Writer
On March 14, 2018, schools and students across the United States held a walkout in order to protest, raise awareness about gun violence, and show support toward students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Fortunately, Carson Complex participated as well. Speakers wore orange and held a seven-teen minute walk out, a minute for each person that was killed at the Stoneman shooting. At ten o’clock, students and teachers walked out of their classes and went towards the quad to listen to students from leadership talk about the Stoneman shooting and speeches as to why there needs to be a change. Michael Dimatulac, who was one of the students from Carson High leadership who helped organized this walkout, said it was not stressful and thought the “walkout planned out pretty great.”
Fiorina Talaba, senior from the Academy of Medical Arts who, also helped organize this walkout and was one of the students who gave a speech. Towards the end of the rally, she made sure to emphasize the importance of having Congress’ phone number as she thinks that this event will definitely cause a change and that the government needs to be contacted.
“The misconception or the stereotype is that kids our age are not going to involve themselves in politics but [by] putting this on Snapchat and Instagram and other forms of social media, I think it just relates more with the students and it makes them want to actually participate in political change. So yes, this event definitely will cause a change,” said Talaba.
Nyanga Nyandemoh, senior from the Academies of Education and Empowerment, also understands the importance of this walkout.
“I truly believe this event will cause change. There is a time in life where you must stand. Those who sit during moments like these or believe that their voice isn’t loud enough or important enough will be left to sit in the dire consequences of not standing up for what is right. Students today are not just the future and the past. We have made change through history constantly and we will and are going to make a change,” said Nyandemoh.
As students and people of the future, the rally and speakers all want us to make changes and protect others from gun violence. The speeches told us to not let another shooting go through the same cycle where we cry, pray, demand for a change, and then stop protesting after a month. The organizers maintain that in order to make a change happen we all need to protest, speak out, and call Congress at 202-224-3121.