I SUPPORT ‘WALKOUT’ AND ‘WALK UP’ BUT NOT ‘WALK UP’ OVER ‘WALKOUT’ – WE ALL CAN DO BOTH.

I will admit that I got enamoured with the National School Walkout over the last 48 to 72 hours after speaking with a few local students, interviewing Douglas Freeman Senior organizer Maxwell Nardi (a political star in the making), and watching the amazing display of students all over the country exercise their right to peaceful protest – Click HERE for photos of the Richmond region.

So, I understand that it was unavoidable for people to start tagging me or sharing with me their “Walk Up” alternatives to students walking out of class yesterday. I appreciate those who shared with me the “Walk Up” movement for informational purposes or even if you believe it is a better way. I want to be in the loop and I wasn’t following this movement closely.

I must admit that my initial reaction to “Walk Up” was that it is a wack attempt, from parents, administrators, and pro-gun advocates, to censor students into a more acceptable form of protest, actual “Walk Up” is not protest at all. In addition, “Walk Up” addresses a different issue than what the students, that I spoke with, told me the purpose of the “Walkout” movement is. “Walkout” is about gun safety and letting our elected leaders know that young people want action on guns to make their schools safer. “Walk Up” is encouraging students to be kind and inclusive to students to foster a better school environment.  Both are noble causes and I support them both, but they are different.

Why do I support them both? Because I’m an intelligent adult, with the ability to support more than one plan at a time, and I recognize the difference.

What I don’t support is “Walk Up” over “Walkout.”  

And what I think “Walk Up” gets wrong is the idea that if kids are nicer to each other that will stop school shootings. I’ve read several articles on this topic over the last few days and the point that has stuck with me is from writer Annie Reneau, she wrote, “No doubt, all of us could be kinder to our fellow humans. But there have been bullies, loners, and outcasts forever. There are bullies, loners, and outcasts in other countries. Kids being unkind to one another is not a uniquely modern nor uniquely American phenomenon. But regular school shootings are. I’m not saying kids shouldn’t be kinder. But kindness alone doesn’t solve our unique gun violence problem.”

It’s simplistic to make a binary case for either “Walkout” or “Walk Up” and it seems lazy. I know we can support both. I will support “Walk Up”every day of the week because schools should be inclusive and kind places. But there is a different point with “Walkout” one that resonates with a lot of students and their parents, one that resonates with a lot of school teachers and administrators – we have too many guns and they are too easy to get – and our elected leaders have not done enough – they have not acted with enough urgency to make a difference. This “Walkout” movement is about action.

I wish “Walkout” and Walk Up the very best as we move forward together.  And I hope that our elected leaders respond with action.

#WESEEIT