I support students’ protests with the heart of a grandmother

I am a grandmother of a Marjory Stoneman Douglas student. She, as well as my other grandchildren, is my “heart.” Wednesday, Feb. 14 was the worst day any parent or grandparent could experience. We were lucky that our granddaughter was in a building far enough away from the horrors taking place in the freshman building. That she and 19 others were shut up in a closet for a long period of time had to be frightening enough for her. But for her parents and grandparents, it was an eternity.

I was never aware of active shooter drills that are standard procedure in schools throughout our country. Of course, I agonized over Sandy Hook, Columbine and every other gun-related atrocity that has occurred all too frequently around the world. But in the America I grew up in, these would have been unheard of. Yes, we hid under our desks during bomb drills and sat against the wall in the hallway. But mostly we walked quietly out of our schools during standard fire drills. That our grandchildren live under such tension and very real, very possible danger is horrifying to me.

So, here is what I am doing because I must support the brave and articulate students of Stoneman Douglas and my granddaughter, who went from her first experience at funerals to Tallahassee, and from her warm, safe bed to Washington, D.C. She’s gone from school to writing articles as editor of The Eagle Eye, from interviewing families of her murdered classmates to telephone interviews with the worldwide media. I am gathering with my community along Jog Road today, and we are marching for the lives of our youth. We will carry homemade signs that support their goal of banning assault weapons, something no private citizen need ever own.

We are speaking out for the lives of the future of America — our grandchildren who will vote this year, next year and the years to come. They will go to the polls and vote out every politician who cares more for their pocketbooks than the lives of children. We know who you are and how you voted. You will not have those jobs much longer.

I believe in today’s youth. Their memories are long and they have time on their side. We, on the other hand, must act more quickly — and act we will. We’ve done it in the past and changed the direction of the world. We know how to do it again. June Schneid is a resident of Boynton Beach. See more reader opinions at SunSentinel.com/opinion/letters.

I believe in today’s youth. Their memories are long and they have time on their side.