Four chaperones and 46 students from Bloomington high schools left Bloomington in a charter bus around 7 a.m. Friday to travel to the March for Our Lives rally Saturday in Washington, D.C.
It was about an hour before the bell would ring to start classes on a normal day of school, but this was not a normal day.
On this day they traveled halfway across the country on a largely student-organized trip to make a statement against a legal system that has been unable to stop school shootings.
“I feel like it’s finally coming together,” said Bloomington High School North senior Ruth Nall, who helped organize the effort. “Like, it’s happening.”
Their group, Bloomington Students Against Assault Weapons, raised about $15,000 for the trip, Nall said. It was more than what they needed to cover the costs of a charter bus, metro passes and hotel rooms.
BHSN senior Caleb Poer said students were each asked to pay $23 of the cost. The $20 secured their place on the bus, and $3 bought them black T-shirts with the group name in red on the front.
The rest of the money will go toward buying materials for the national walkout scheduled April 20.
Although there have been many instances of gun violence over the last two decades, anger seemed to finally explode after 17 people died from gun violence at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Activism from Parkland students has inspired a generation of young people across the country and world to stand up for gun control. This generation has planned walkouts and advocated for legislation. The March for Our Lives is their most universal statement yet.
The movement has sparked solidarity events across the world from London to Mumbai, much like the Women’s March on Washington did in January 2017.
In Washington, D.C. alone, Saturday’s march is estimated to bring in about 500,000 people, and many of them will be students.
Poer said he believes he and his classmates must continue to speak out so Congress will change the laws.
“It’s not sensationalism,” Poer said. “This is something that specifically our age group and our generation is going to fight for.”
