Students at Rocky Point High School in Suffolk County, New York, were faced with a choice. Like many choices, there were consequences that would unfold as a result. Students who decided to walk out for the March for Our Lives protest of gun violence were warned that they would receive a day of in-school suspension and a ban from all after-school activities that week. In Arkansas, the Greenbrier public school actually inflicted corporal punishment on anyone who decided to walk out, but you know what? Sometimes it takes standing up to the consequences of your actions to create the change you need.
Why do so many people cross the border from Mexico to work in the US? A large part of that is due to certain workplace rights that were won at the turn of the century and on in through the 1930's. Did you know people died in picket lines, were viciously beaten in order for US citizens to have the kind of workplace conditions we enjoy today? Sometimes just carrying a sign at your leisure when you feel like it just isn't enough, sometimes it takes facing up to things you would rather not endure in order to mould the world as you would.
http://thegoldwater.com/news/20504-The-Children-s-Crusade-Grassroots-Or-Astroturf
It cuts both ways, of course, more than one student has said that they were basically forced into protesting. It's an important lesson regardless of what side of the divide you're on. Taking a stand is not always easy and, especially when the choice is important it very well may come with consequences. Jacob Shoemaker not only got suspended but was ostracized by fellow students when he decided he'd rather not make a political choice either way. Shoemaker also makes a good point of how politicized the tragedy has become and how he would gladly have taken part in a moment of silence but didn't want to be forced into taking part in the walk-out or apparently "supporting gun violence" as he put it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Suspended student Jacob Shoemaker: “Students should be able to make a choice and not be forced into situations by officials in their school district.. if this was about abortion, I can promise you the situation would’ve been handled very differently”! <a href="https://t.co/tEv8iTw5fd">pic.twitter.com/tEv8iTw5fd</a></p>— GITMO 🇺🇸 (@President1Trump) <a href="https://twitter.com/President1Trump/status/975052930331095040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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It's called civil disobedience, and it comes with a price at times. When you make a political stand that's not popular (either in general or in the place you call home) it may result in some blowback. If that blowback involves a bit of detention or even being an outcast amongst "the cool kids" so be it. This is where change comes from, from standing up for what you believe in despite the consequences of your actions. That's a testament to the belief itself. Civil disobedience is like a red badge of courage to be worn with pride. Remember, so many others who stood up for what they believed actually received the red badge itself…
Source:
https://www.brit.co/across-the-country-teens-accept-punishment-to-protest-in-school-walkouts/
Twitter: #civildisobedience #NationalSchoolWalkout #StudentWalkout #MarchForOurLives
It is very important to stand for what you believe that is right..even if the majority are on the opposite side of the fence…the constitution gives us that right as the bill of rights. #2A #FREEDOM standing strong and firm is never easy but freedom is worth the fight