Imagine being so affected by a tragedy that you’re moved to organize a nationwide demonstration — and pull it off. That’s exactly what Lane Murdock, a 16-year-old high school sophomore from Connecticut, has done in the wake of February's massacre at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Birthed from a petition she created in response to the Parkland shooting, Lane is the brains behind today's National School Walkout to protest violence in schools.
Lane told NPR that she felt numb when she heard the news of the Parkland tragedy on February 14, which makes sense: school shootings are the norm these days.
"In the time I've been in high school we've had the Pulse, Las Vegas and now, [the Parkland] shooting," she explained.
That very same day, she created the aforementioned petition that called for a nationwide school walkout on April 20, the anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School in 1999 — three years before she was born.
"The majority of teenagers have no right to vote, leaving our voice unheard," the petition read. "The government does not hear or care how these tragedies affect our lives. ... As the future of America, it is time for teenagers to speak their minds and put their frustration into action."
Lane and some of her fellow students planned the walkout over their spring break, and were able to register more than 2,500 related demonstrations across the nation in the weeks leading up to Friday, NPR points out.
Lane said she’s very well aware that not all gun violence goes down in school shootings, so she wants the day to be inclusive. She also hopes that the day will pan out differently from the March for Our Lives in that registering voters and writing to elected officials is a priority.
"It is not conservative or liberal," she told NPR." It is just about making sure our children don't get harmed in school and we don't live in a community and in a country that has institutionalized fear. I think we're all sick of it. That's why we're doing this."
Based on buzz on social media, Lane's walkout has been a success so far this morning:
If this is the kind of stuff Lane is organizing as a sophomore in high school, I can only imagine the things she'll accomplish in the future with that sort of determination and passion. She’s the kind of person that should give people hope for the future.
Click here to read NPR's entire interview with Lane.
