Painful Protest
Students inspired by Douglas victims organize March For Our Lives El Paso
By Ariana Arredondo, Aztec Gold Editor-In-Chief
Rather than going home to mourn their lost loved ones, the Marjory Douglas High School students instead ran to Twitter, Instagram, and multiple national news outlets to share their stories and opinions of what needs to be done after a gunman killed 17 people at their high school on Valentine’s Day.
“Every single person up here today, all these people should be home grieving,” student and victim Emma Gonzalez said at an anti-gun rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “But instead we are up here standing together because if all our government and President can do is send thoughts and prayers, then it’s time for victims to be the change that we need to see.”
The victims have also organized a march on Washington D.C. on March 24 called “The March For Our Lives.” And now, El Dorado has decided to join in on these efforts. Senior Sergio Tarango was inspired to organize his own march here in El Paso after watching the CNN town hall and having a heartbreaking conversation with his younger brother.
“My little brother came in and said, ‘You know, in a case of a school shooting, I already know where I would go,’ and just the simple fact that he had that conversation with me brought me to tears,” Tarango said. “It was the fact that I felt so defenseless and powerless. Some of us are barely 18. We can vote, but that’s as far as our civic duties go, so I thought why not get rallied up.”
Tarango is working alongside a group of students as well as the organizers of the Women’s March back in January 2017. They have begun calling themselves “Sun City Activists” and are striving to spread the message advocating for gun law reform as well as focusing on educating people young and old about these issues.
“It’s not just an El Dorado thing; it’s not just an SISD thing; it’s an El Paso thing; it is something I hope can shine a light on an issue we are passionate about,” Tarango said.
The group intends to make this a march, not just for El Dorado, but for all of El Paso. They have begun by meeting with the student body presidents of various schools as well as Texas politician Beto O’Rourke.
“At the end of the day this is by high schoolers, for high schoolers and for the youth,” Tarango said.
The march is scheduled for March 24, the same date as the march on Washington D.C., from 3-10 p.m. and is said to start in Cleveland Square, by the El Paso Museum of History. The march will then continue to San Jacinto Plaza where speakers are scheduled to give speeches regarding the march’s purpose. Poetry will also be read at this time and art pieces will be displayed. You can enter your own poem or speech for the chance to read it at the march and you can also enter any 2D art piece to be displayed in the Plaza. Deadline for this is March 17.
Sun City activists is not affiliated with a school or party in particular.
For more information about the march check out @915activists on Twitter.
