by ChiTeen Lit Fest
Enough is Enough
By Paola Beltran
1968, high school students from East L.A. walked out of school to
protest unfair treatment and lack of funds. 1988, students from
Gallaudet University protest because never in history of the school
was there a deaf president. 2018, students, parents, teachers,
professionals, employed, or unemployed are currently marching in
places like D.C., Chicago, Sacramento and 800 other cities across the
nation.
After the Women’s March in January, never in U.S. history have so many
individuals participated in protest. This isn’t just any other protest, it’s a
movement, where thousands of people are here to say that guns kill, gun
violence is real, and that never again should mass shootings be happening
in high schools or any other institutions.
Students, teachers, and people across the nation want to feel like
they can walk out of school without worrying about a gun fight. They
shouldn’t have to fear that an infuriated student can come in to class
with a weapon of this sort. Having a gun held to your head puts you in
a terrifyingly vulnerable situation where all you can do is hope that
they turn around and leave. People shouldn’t have to worry like this
especially when the government is more than capable of doing
something.
The difference between 1968, 1988, and 2018 is the repercussion of
change. The students from East L.A. became a step-stone for Chicano
representation and civil rights. In 1988, the students who demanded
change, emplaced their first deaf president, Irving King Jordan. Where
is our change? We will not stop because enough is enough.
