Many teens feel they have no voice when it comes to the injustices in the state, especially when laws passed are directly impacting students. Not being able to vote, many teens feel the only way they can express their opinions is through protest, which can be seen at schools all across the country, including PV.
There have been many clubs at PV that align with the political beliefs of students, ensuring everyone a place where they can express themselves; the newest being Students Demand Action/March for Our Lives.
March for Our Lives is a student run organization, with its goal being to fight against the overwhelming amount of gun violence in America. In the year of 2022, there were 51 school shootings resulting in injury or death, making many students feel unsafe in their daily life and helpless when it comes to gun regulation laws.
The entirety of the government consists of adults, causing a lot of teenagers’ opinions to be ignored. This creates a huge conflict with situations like school shootings because students are the ones being affected the most.
Senior Pratima Khatri, leader of Students Demand Action/March for Our Lives and other organized protests at PV, expressed her opinion on adults’ dismissive nature towards students’ political efforts. “A lot of major issues that impact our country directly impacts us as well, so it is unreasonable for our opinions to be denounced,” she expressed.
Khatri described the incentive of Students Demand Action/March for Our Lives at PV, “We don’t want to infringe on anyone’s right to bear arms; however students shouldn’t be in fear of a potential shooting that may happen at their school.”
Adults have the ability to silently fight for justice through the polls; teenagers don’t have that ability, so they are forced to be loud with their opinions. Many teens feel the only way they can be heard by adults is to cause disruption and protest.
Sadly, there is a very low likelihood the government will take any measures against gun violence purely because of student marches, and this poses the question, why even participate when the most common response from adults is ignorance?
This question can be answered by looking at the effect of other acts of protest at PV. In May of 2023 there was a protest against new transgender laws being passed in Iowa, affecting many students. Although the protest did not have any effect in the passing of the laws, it was still successful in spreading awareness and creating a supportive space for trans students at PV.
Students Demand Action/March for Our Lives is striving for a similar effect at our school this year. Although their protests, unfortunately, may be ignored, it is important for PV to build a safe community where students can advocate for political causes they are passionate about.
Rupika Jai Ganesh, another leader of Students Demand Action/March For Our Lives, stated her reasoning for helping lead the club at PV. “Gun Violence is a key issue in the US and we hope to use this club as a platform to educate our peers about this issue,” she said.
The addition of Students Demand Action/March for Our Lives at PV ensures students know they are heard and understood by their peers when they often feel disregarded by adults. This creates an overall more supportive and positive environment for students at Pleasant Valley.
