On Wednesday, March 14, Saint Xavier students, faculty, and staff participated in a nationwide walkout to protest gun violence and demand Congress enact stricter gun laws.
The walkout, nationally orchestrated by the Women’s March Youth EMPOWER organization, came after a nationwide resurgence of young students calling for the ban of assault rifles and more in-depth background checks on those who attempt to purchase said weapons.
The hope is that gun reform will stop massacres from happening, both in the streets and in classrooms.
Statistics from everytownresearch.org indicate that, on average, seven children and teens are killed with a gun every day.
TIME Magazine writes that, since the start of 2018, there have been 17 reported mass school shootings, with the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida being the most recent.
Wednesday’s national walkout is not the only walkout planned, nor is it the first walkout to happen.
For several weeks now, students across the country have been leaving classes in the middle of the day to exercise their right to protest.
USA Today reports that approximately 2,800 schools participated in Wednesday’s walkout.
The nationwide walkout began at 10am and lasted 17 minutes total, one minute for each victim at the Parkland shooting.
Not only did students and faculty members at schools walkout, but also members of Congress.
Several democratic Congresspeople walked out to Capitol Hill to stand in support with the students across the country demanding gun reform.
SXU saw some 100 students, faculty, and staff participate in the walkout.
Before the March began, Peer Minister Genesis Garcia Fischer led those gathered at SXU in a prayer, written by James Martin, S.J. of the America Jesuit Review.
Fischer’s prayer was for all those who have been affected by gun violence.
Yet Fischer’s prayer, while honoring victims, survivors, and families, also served as a call to action.
The prayer, “Sad, Tired, and Angry: A Prayer in the Face of Gun Violence,” asks God to explain how to help enact change.
The prayer asks others to become advocates, protesters, and compassionate individuals.
While not all schools have encouraged their students to participate in walkouts – some even issuing disciplinary actions – students have continued to raise their voices in an attempt to gain the attention of politicians.
After Wednesday’s nationwide protest, The New York Times reported that Trump’s deputy press secretary says that the president, “‘shares students concerns about school safety.”’ However, no gun reform laws have been introduced just yet.
The next call for gun reform will take place on Saturday, March 24 as students participate in the national demonstration called March for Our Lives.
For more information on the March for Our Lives demonstration, check out https://marchforourlives.com/.
Cheyanne Daniels
News Editor
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