we need to talk: an editorial

When I was a sophomore in high school, I was forced to take a journalism class. It lasted one semester, a simple, half-year course. No big deal, right? Wrong. That was the only class in my schedule that would fit, but I wanted to change it. Despite all of the people telling me that it was so much work, how much I would hate it, and how it wasn't worth my time, I stuck through it anyway. If I was happy with the rest of my schedule, why would I drastically change it because of one course? Little did I know that the journalism course I didn't want to take in the first place would open my eyes to what I want to do for the rest of my life.

My dream is to write for the New York Times, the one source I believe is responsible for the only unbiased news nowadays. For a long time, I decided that I would write about the good news. None of that homicide, mass shooting, political type of news--basically anything but the hard-hitting articles. However, last year, I had the opportunity to direct a one-act play for METG's (Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild's) festival competition. Festival is a high school competition in which drama departments compete for 3 rounds with one-act plays. When I was looking for a show, I knew that I wanted something that would push boundaries. I discovered Lockdown by Douglas Craven, which follows 8 students who are stuck in a lockdown--without knowing whether it's a drill or an actual emergency. Lockdown was used as a vessel for me to provide my peers with an intense piece of theatre, along with a conversation about gun control. In fact, I was able to donate all proceeds ($400) to the night performance to March For Our Lives.

Trust me guys, I know that all of these details I'm mentioning sound all over the place, but they all connect. The connection between all of them hit me like a ton of bricks this morning. As I was on my way to my 8:00 am course, I was listening to Newsies, one of my favorite musicals. Newsies tells the story of the Newsboy Strike of 1899, with some singing and dancing thrown in there. Throughout the entire show, the music has themes of empowerment and standing up for what's right--even if you're alone. Boom. That's when it all hit me. I can't ignore the hard-hitting news, the conflict, the problems we have in society. I can't choose to stuff them all under the rug as I focus on the good. The truth is, I can't write about the good--not when I see how desperately we need people to fight for change.

I don't want to write fluff articles, and I don't want to write about mass shootings--but there comes a time when we, as a society need to assess the problems and deal with them. In the 19 years I have lived on this Earth, which, keep in mind, isn't even that long, I've seen too many lives taken that should not have been. I shouldn't have to think of my friends that are still in high school and worry about whether or not someone will shoot them. Yet, I do. I shouldn't have to think of an escape plan for a mass shooting when I walk into a shopping mall. Yet, I do. I don't blame people for not wanting to fight for gun control and change, it's scary, and it takes a lot of courage. But for people who always see the need for it, we need to grasp and wrap our brains around the idea that nothing is going to be fixed if we don't do anything about it.

There comes a time when it becomes our turn---my turn, to take a stand. Being completely honest, I hate getting political. I think that it only results in arguments and sometimes, that isn't worth it. This time, I'm going to. And I'm not gonna apologize for it, because it's the truth. We have seen one too many school shootings in which people lost their lives because our government neglects to do anything about it. To be quite honest, I'm over it. If those we elect into power are going to ignore the very issue at hand, what kind of country are we running? I understand that I'm only one person, and the idea of me making a huge difference in this issue seems small, but I simply cannot sit here and watch the lives taken of people who did not deserve it--it is not morally right. This is an issue---and I cannot stress this enough---we should not ignore. I feel I can speak for my generation when I say that if the very people running our country choose to neglect the issue and lives at stake, we will. We can, will and should fight back.

As of this morning, I came to a decision. This is what I want--change. I want to be the person to write controversial articles, and not to be successful, but because it needs to be said. I'm making the conscious choice to write about the hard-hitting news. The times, they are a-changing, and I plan to be apart of it.

the jar of proceeds for March For Our Lives

the cast and crew of Lockdown at METG's Festival