As the Students Lead the Way Forward, What if We All Followed?

As March for Our Lives moves forward, what if we were all with them, following behind them to add our full support in any way possible to help them on their path?

The inspiring courage of the Florida students is staggering. Their strength and bravery in trying to get done what we as a nation have failed to do — provide a safe learning environment for all our children — is astounding.

What if the road they walk as they strive to lead our students to safer and better lives was helped by each of us standing behind them?

Students used to be considered the leaders of tomorrow; this group has been forced by unspeakable tragedy to become the leaders of today. It is sad that we as a nation have abdicated this responsibility, but since the children of today have now become the leaders of today, of right now, what if their way forward was made easier by our full support behind them? What if their way forward to a better America was fully followed by all of us who stand with them?

What if we all used our voices, to show in solidarity with them, that the time has come?

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.
Nelson Mandela

The Numbers are there for Strength in Solidarity

A new Quinnipiac polls show that nearly 100% of Americans support universal background checks for firearms purchases. Even among gun owners polled, support is at 97 percent.

Yet here we are. Ruled by the tyranny of a vocal minority.

Even a majority of gun owners support stricter gun control laws.

Yet here we are. Ruled by the tyranny of a vocal minority.

Over 4/5 of American voters support a mandatory waiting period for all gun purchases.

Yet here we are. Ruled by the tyranny of a vocal minority.

Nearly 70% of American voters support a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons.

Yet here we are. Ruled by the tyranny of a vocal minority.

There are approximately 325 million Americans.

According the NRA itself there are 4.5 to 5 million NRA members.

The math does not make sense. The killings do not make sense. The inaction does not make sense.

325 million Americans, whose vast clear majority supports stricter gun control laws, continually thwarted by less than 5 million NRA members and their influence on the people who make our laws.

Yet here we are. Ruled by the tyranny of a vocal minority and their minions in Washington, D.C. who see our nation’s children being gunned down at school — and continue to nothing.

And now the children lead the way.

What if…

What if, what if at last, these brave, courageous children do what we could not?

And what if we followed behind them, if we all joined in however and whenever we are able. What if we, all of us, did everything that we could do to help them in their monumental and momentous struggle that our children might be allowed to attend school without fear of being senselessly slaughtered. That we — and our nation — might be safer and better than we are?

Numerous high-profile luminaries have come out to support the children in their quest to do what we could not. George & Amal Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw, Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg have all each donated $500,000 to support the children in their March for Our Lives protest march on Washington, D.C. and the list of their events is posted on their site and growing with other nationwide marches being added at a brisk rate.

Of course we are not all wealthy and powerful people with the good will and great fortunes to match this but that does not mean that we can not all show our support and lend a hand to these students and their cause — that they — and all our children might be safer at our schools.

The Strength in Their Numbers:

There are currently over 80 million students in the U.S., from pre-k, to public and private schools and attending colleges and universities.

There are over 3 million teachers in the U.S.

According to the National Center for Education Studies, there are almost 100,000 public schools in the U.S. in 14,000 public school districts.

80 million students in the U.S.

And because of their courage to say enough is enough, our eyes are on them. And what if we follow fully behind them and add to their numbers and their voices and their message as they lead the way.

What if…?

What if an expert statistician or economist broke down the economic power of these 80 million students. What if someone figured out the amount they will spend on consumer goods, entertainment, phones, cars, houses, college educations.

What if someone investigated the number of colleges and universities in America — along with their endowments and investments.

What if someone started a list of every company and institution and pension fund that has an investment in any weapons maker. And what if we all said no more.

The NRA ranks politicians.

What if colleges and corporations were ranked on the strength and support they give to the people that keep them going. What if we all decided not to support any institution that does not support our students?

What if students decided to make clear that they will not attend any college or university that does not loudly and clearly support them? What if the US News and other college rankings included which schools have clearly and loudly come out in support of more sensible gun control laws? What if colleges and universities established scholarship funds for leaders and supporters of this movement?

The United States is home to over 100 unicorn companies — corporations valued at more than $1 billion.

What if they were all ranked by whether or not their leaders came out in a clear and vocal show of support for safer gun control laws favored by a vast majority of the very populace that constitutes their customer base?

Over 80% of Americans are active on some social media. These companies depend on users to create their value. Yet time and time again school shootings have happened, briefly caught attention on various social media sites then faded from prominence.

What if we did not allow that to happen again.

What if we judged them all by their ability to support the very populace that constitutes their customer base?

What if all these sundry social media platforms, including Medium, all were judged by how explicitly they exhibit their support for these students, for this cause?

What if we all wrote about it, talked about it, shared ways we can support them?

If these students and their quest for safer gun control measures are not loudly and constantly supported on these platforms, are not constantly trending and at the forefront between now and the March 24 March for Our Lives — what if we said no more. If they do not give the full attention this cause demands, what if we took our eyeballs and our attention away from these platforms, thereby stripping them of their very value. If they can not prove their clear commitment to this cause that students might be safe, what if we proved our commitment to the cause by leaving them en masse.

And for those many influential opinion-shapers on social media, even those ones that don’t have a half a million dollars to donate, what if they, each and every day until things changed, lent their loud and public support to this cause? And for any that do not, what if they lost their followers and their influence, the very lifeblood that gives them influence. If they do not support this cause, what if they lost all their support?

What if the social media influencers insured that each every day this issue would be at the forefront of every social media platform? What if by sharing, they help save lives?

What if celebrities, in addition to donating money in support, took it a step further and started a coalition. What if they started a coalition, if they, together, said to the companies and corporations they work with that from now on they only work with corporations that stand in support of these students and their cause. In support of these lives?

What if each and every day there was a new viral video of celebrities and influencers speaking out on why they support these students?

What if Google, who relies on its users, was faced with the idea that if they did not loudly and vocally support this cause, we said no more and did not support them? What if each and every day’s Google banner was a show of support for these students, for this cause?

What if the makers of mobile phones and service providers who did not loudly and vocally support this cause, what if we said, no more, and did not support them?

What if AirBnB, Uber, Lyft, also ranked their providers on whether or not they support this cause. And if they do not, what if no one ever stayed at an AirBnb or took an Uber or Lyft that was not ranked by a clear show of support for this cause? Or supported a corporation that did not exclaim its corporate conscience supported what its American customers support.

Bloomberg reported yesterday that the Florida state teachers pension plan held significant holdings in the very company that manufactured the AR-15 assault rifle used in the Parkland attack.

What if we did not accept such things?

What if we all demanded that every business, every company or corporation or institution we are customers of not only fully divested from any such investments, but fully showed their support for these students and their cause?

The brave student leaders took three buses from Florida to Washington. Where was the savvy social-minded PR person for the airlines that rely on American patrons — living American patrons — that could have provided free transport for these children? Even if it was self-serving, how did they not look at these numbers of Americans who support more sensible gun control and say to these students from Florida, “We will gladly take you where you need to be. Because we support you.”? What if they offered to do that for a number of students in each and every state?

What if more NRA members, whose very majority are for more strict gun control laws, made it more clear that they do not need assault weapons if the very cost of this is human life? What if more spoke out in favor of not wanting students to be shot at school by assault rifles?

What if there were more lists online of voters who vow never again, never again will I vote for a politician — at any level, from local to national — who does not support sensible gun control laws? What if these lists were again continually mentioned on all media platforms? The numbers of American voters in favor of sensible gun control laws means that most of these politicians should not be ever elected again unless they can demonstrate that they are willing to do what the majority of the voting populace wants. What if these numbers were made abundantly clear everywhere?

What if there were more lists, more continually and more prominently shared and publicized, of all the politicians who take money from the NRA and stand by idly while our children are shot, what if all their office contact and social media profiles were loudly declaimed each and every day? What if we all did it together, in support of these students and this American majority for sensible gun control laws? What if Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and their seemingly conscienceless cohorts, heard from these 97% of Americans in some form each and every day, whether via text message, telephone, twitter or facebook?

What if some savvy social minded computer coding experts made this easy so that no one who cares could refuse to do it, so that their voices and all voices would be easily amplified?

What if in each of America’s 100,000 school districts someone, some many voices, were there at each and every school board meeting until things change and schools are safe? What if more of us were there behind them?

What if there were an emblem or sticker show of support that businesses large and small, local and national, started proudly displaying to show their support of this cause? And what if this was clearly proclaimed and when it was not, what if the 97% of us who support more sensible gun control laws did not patronize any business that does not support this?

What if there was a loud and continual single statement of solidarity in support of these students that our broadcasters, talk show hosts, and celebrities clearly and loudly repeated each and every night. What if this show of support was repeated and restrengthened with each repetition in a clear and vivid show of support in solidarity with these students everywhere we turned until things changed?

What if America and our students were safer?

What if America was the safest place in the world to go to school?

What if we, all of us in the majority in favor of more sensible gun control laws, all showed our support for them in each every way possible?

America can not survive without these 80 million students that should all be at the forefront of our future.

And no American political representative, institution, company or corporation should be able to thrive — or survive — when they do not clearly and vocally show their support for what the clear majority of American’s believe in.

These institutions can not survive without us.

We can not survive without our youth.

What if we all did everything we could to do to show, in every way possible, that we stand behind them?

What if their commitment is clearly and strongly and loudly supported by our commitment?

What if we all visited their sites below and all did anything possible to support them?