By TGP Senior Copywriter, D’Anne Witkowski
It’s back to school time! Actually, this time is so important it should be treated like a proper noun, so let me try again. It’s Back to School Time!
Reactions to this time are mixed for parents, kids and teachers. For some, this time is celebratory. For others it’s anxiety producing, or a relief, or a realization that time really does go by so fast, or an excuse to buy a new pair of sneakers, or all of the above.
There’s one feeling, though, that has become universal: fear.
When I attended an orientation for parents of incoming students at Groves High School in Birmingham, they went over a lot of things such as extracurricular activities, passing time between classes, lunch, AP class offerings, academic support, and, of course, active shooters.
The principal told us that the school had a state of the art active shooter alert system, the name of which has the word “blue” in it, which made me think of the day of Kmart’s Blue Light Special. And if you can remember what a Blue Light Special was, I’ll bet you didn’t grow up having to do active shooter drills your entire grade school life, preschool through highschool. But that’s the reality for our kids.
I was a very anxious child. But I feel lucky that my biggest fears in school were:
Someone puking on the floor.
Having very bad hair.
Being gay and terrified people would find out.
And yet that’s the fear we’ve gifted to our children because our nation chooses guns over kids every single time. Sure, there is some movement now to pass gun safety legislation in some states, including Michigan. But that’s happening where there is a Democratic majority. Republicans do not give a shit about gun violence. Their response is always, “Well what if EVERYbody had guns? An armed society is a polite society, after all.” Except, we already live in an armed society. And the U.S. is #1 when it comes to school shootings, much to the world’s horror.
My son left for school this morning for his first day of high school. Before he left I took a photo of him in front of the garage door, which I have done every year since he was in Kindergarten. He was wearing a black t-shirt, grey sweatpants, black Crocs, and a black Adidas backpack.
As I write this description, I think of the families in Uvalde whose children could only be identified by what they were wearing, their faces and bodies destroyed by bullets.
To any parent who thinks that “something like that could never happen here,” walk to the nearest window and look out. What do you see? That’s where something like that happens. Not only is it naive to think otherwise, it also eliminates any sense of responsibility to do anything about it.
What can you do? You can vote. Vote for people who believe that people’s lives are more important than guns. Right now, that eliminates just about every Republican on your ballot. You can also run for office at any level of government. Do you know how many right-wing conservatives were motivated to run for school board because schools made their kids wear masks during a deadly pandemic? Parents need to be just as motivated by the threat of gun violence to do the same.
Sure, running for office is a lot of work and everyone is plenty busy. If running for office isn’t your bag, help someone else, someone you believe in. Volunteer for their campaign. Donate if you can. The Michigan legislature with its Democratic majority is a beautiful example of what happens when people who care about people and believe that government can work to improve and protect their communities. Gun violence prevention bills that were stalled for years by the previous Republican majority have been passed and signed by Gov. Whitmer. There’s more to do, but it’s a huge step forward.
My son is supposed to come home at 11 AM today. If he doesn’t because someone with a gun has decided his life is worth nothing, I will be destroyed. But I will not be surprised. And that’s what it’s like to be a parent in the United States.