March for Our Lives 2018

As I was turning into the parking lot at work today, I noticed a steady stream of people carrying signs and chanting, marching across the intersection a few blocks away. Since I had about 20 minutes before I had to open the gallery where I work, and have been feeling bummed that my Saturday work schedule has been preventing me from participating in many of the recent demonstrations, I ran up to join them. I found myself engulfed in a crowd of marchers chanting "What do we want? GUN CONTROL! When do we want it? NOW!", more than half of whom were young children. The adults in the crowd seemed to be mostly parents, there to supervise crossing intersections. It was the kids, many on scooters and bikes with handmade signs attached to the handlebars, that propelled the crowd forward. The parents followed behind.

The sight of these pint sized protesters brought tears to my eyes, and just about broke my heart y'all. It is devastating that it has literally come to this - our children, as young as three and four years old, taking to the streets to beg for their safety. And it is inspiring, that children that young are learning to raise their voices in defense of their rights.

Another thing. As I marched the next few blocks with this group, I couldn't help notice the number of white faces in the crowd. This week has really driven home the fact that our demands for gun control should not just be about civilian assault rifle bans and background checks. We need to think critically about how to make all people - black and white and brown - safer from gun violence. #marchforourlives #blacklivesmatter