All across America, students are scared to go to school. There have already been 27 shootings in Colorado schools in 2023, and many are fed-up with being afraid and seeing no change in gun legislation.

Students Demand Action, a non-profit organization whose main goal is to end gun violence in schools, urged high schoolers across the country to hold a walkout on Wednesday, April 5th to show that people want change from lawmakers.

“It was a national thing organized by Students Demand Action, and I think the gist was if every high school has this protest, hopefully, it’ll get some attention,” Minna Most ‘23 said, who spoke out at the protest.

Many students shared the walkout on social media and told anyone they could about the protest, encouraging them to participate. Spreading the word about the protest to the rest of the school also meant telling people what it meant if they showed up.

Gun violence is a deadly issue in America that has many people uniting to put an end to it.

“It’s about drawing attention to this issue by standing together and showing that we’re unified, showing that students aren’t going to continue to let it slide,” Most said. “Say, ‘I have a voice and I’m going to use it and find a way to do that.’ That can’t be so easily ignored.”

Although some students used the protest as an opportunity to skip class, the leaders of the walkout felt their words left a mark on those who listened.

“For people who did stay and watch, even if they were there just to get out of class, they got to hear what people had to say,” Elena Medina ‘23, another speaker at the protest said. “They got to see their classmates get angry and upset, and rightfully so because our lives are being flipped upside-down every single time we walk into this building.”

Those who spoke out wanted people to know how they were feeling and their opinion on a matter that is important to them.

“I was not planning on speaking, but then no one else was, and I wanted to say one thing, which was about voting, so I stood up,” Most said. “I didn’t step down and I kept talking.”

They let their voices be heard and gave others the chance to do the same. Medina wasn’t the organizer behind the walkout, nor did she plan to talk, but she knew that she had to let out the anger she felt.

“It’s important that you recognize that your silence can harm others,” Medina said. “When you use your voice to speak for people who are too afraid, you’re helping so many more people than just yourself.”