In project class on Monday, November 21st, our class watched a video about a shooting at a gay club in Colorado Springs. When the video began, it sounded like the same issue that we all hear about once or twice a week in class (especially because our current unit is centered around gender). However, when the video ended, our teachers did not react in the same way as they did after watching other videos. They did not tell us to fill out a worksheet or arrange our chairs into a circle for a discussion. Instead, they responded with emotion. To be honest, our whole class was in a bit of shock; we never really knew what to say when our teachers started crying. The events that took place in Colorado Springs hit close to home for our teacher that grew up in Utah, and also has multiple friends that live very close to Colorado. Not only did this affect his emotional wellbeing, but the fact that he is a part of the LGBTQIA+ community also affected him.
Our whole class quickly took out bins of markers and started ripping sheets of poster paper to make signs. If I had to guess, I would say we made around 15-20 signs combined, and quickly rushed to the end of the block to present our signs to oncoming traffic. Nobody had discussed going any further than Folsom and 10th, but there were already cars coming from all directions honking in support of our signs. We gave up our recess time to walk to Civic Center.
San Francisco is generally a progressive place. We received shouts, fist waving, then honking, but all in support of our signs. A couple people walking past the twitter building filmed, and others just kept their heads down and said nothing. Of course ignoring an issue that does not directly relate to you is the most convenient, but our school personally has a lot of time and resources to make small changes, or just spread awareness. A few kids started chanting things like “ban guns, protect youth” or “Out of the closet, into the streets”. For a few people, it was the first ever sort of protest they had ever been a part of. It felt nice to know that what we were doing was not just going to be put in one of our teachers’ binders, the world (everyone between school and City Hall) would get to see it. I think it is important for us as students to get involved and be educated about things that don’t directly relate to us. We can engage ourselves in understanding different identities, and be more empathetic.