The 2018 National Student Walkout Against Gun Violence was a call for all high schoolers in the nation to walk out of their classes on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, and demand that action be taken to end gun violence in the United States. I was one of the key organizers for the activities that took place across South San Diego. A committee of students representing at least six different high schools in Chula Vista and San Diego met every week from February to April 2018 to plan our events.
The walkout I participated in took place on August 20th, 2018 and at least 250 students from my school walked out of their classes at 10:00 am and marched to a local park. My responsibilities for the protest included organizing a student security team to make sure our protesters were safe during the entirety of the march, and to deliver a speech toward the end of the event. I also purchased waters for the students, and searched for megaphones to use during the march.
