Parkland/ Columbine school shootings:

Although the oldest Gen-Z members would be about three when two highschoolers shot fifteen people in Columbine High School, the results of the tragedy would forever impact the climate of safety in our schools.

Since the Columbine shooting in 1999, there have been over 304 school shootings (as of August 9th, 2021). No matter what school they attended,  most American teenagers have been victims of school shooting threats.

To combat school shootings, lockdown drills were created, police-presence was increased; children learned the best places to hide, and the importance of fight or flight. 

For many, it’s not enough. Following the tragic death of seventeen students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, thousands of students nationwide participated in the “March for Our Lives”. This demonstration meant walking out of school, even under threat of suspension or punishment, and protesting for increased gun control laws and actual legislative change.

Organized by high schoolers, the protest showcased Gen-Z’s resourcefulness and predicted their tenacity and unrelenting will in the fight for change.