April 20, 2018 is the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre, during which two teens shot and killed 13 people and injured 21 others at their Colorado high school before turning their weapons on themselves.
To mark the anniversary, students at Ridgefield High School in Connecticut are organizing a national school walkout at 9:50 a.m. They will stay silent for one minute in honor of all victims of gun violence, followed by 13 seconds of silence for each of the Columbine victims.
Teens today live in a post-Columbine world — Gen Zers were born after 1999 have spent their entire childhoods practicing for active shooter drills and hearing about one school shooting after another. But for many young people, that’s not the primary kind of gun violence that keeps them up at night and affects their lives. Community and police-driven gun violence hit hard for teens in urban areas, many of whom have lost family members, friends, or classmates to shootings.
Here at Youth Radio, we’ve been covering urban and community gun violence for decades. So whether you’re preparing for a day of service or 13 seconds of silence to remember Columbine, consider these 13 stories too.
Illustrated Commentary: A Piece Of Mind
Every now and then I still find myself in a potentially threatening situation, and I start to think about getting a gun.
School Shootings Are Tragic. So Is Urban Gun Violence
#NeverAgain is not just about school shootings. Philadelphia teen Mikayla Tyler shares how urban gun violence has touched her life.
Generation Lockdown: Growing Up In The Shadow of Gun Violence
Gun violence is in the national spotlight again in the wake of a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California yesterday. While mass shootings make up most of the headlines, Youth Radio’s Nila Venkat looks at the many other gun incidents fly under the national radar.
#NeverAgain Are You Listening — To Urban Youth Of Color?
“That’s the world we live in. If an issue is not affecting a certain class or demographic, it’s ignored.”
American Youth Are Far Too Familiar With Gun Violence
I was sad when I heard about the 26 innocent people who were killed at the school last Friday, but…
For Many Urban Schools, Gun Violence Remains A Daily Reality
In the Castlemont neighborhood, according to county reports, homicide is the leading cause of death for young people.
“This Is Not Normal”: Seventh Graders March To End Gun Violence In Brooklyn
“In the beginning [the students] thought gun violence was normal. They believed it was normal to hear shootings on a nightly basis, for people to solve conflicts with a gun.”
I Lost My Dad to Gun Violence
According to Pew Research, 150,000 Africans Americans have died of homicides since 2010. Theses are statics that mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters are affected by just like me.
Triggered: Objects Mistaken For Guns
In this interactive, you’ll explore the stories behind 13 objects that police officers have mistaken for guns. The cases you’re about to see vary in circumstance and outcome, but each ended with someone getting shot.