Let anyone with ears listen!
Matthew 13:9
I am deeply inspired by Emma Gonzalez, and the other kids from Parkland, Florida. They are in great pain as they mourn their friends and teachers after the most recent school shooting, but they are voicing a vision and organizing for change even while they grieve. They refuse to be the latest silent victims and survivors; they are raising their voices with courage and grace and challenging adults to move forward in a new way to tackle the tired problem of gun control.
They are creating space to articulate their perspective among decision-makers who never thought to include them in the conversation. They are demanding that we do better, and I believe we will now that they are part of the dialogue. Kids, after all, are key stakeholders in schools and society, and their voices deserve to be heard.
They remind me to ask: who else are we leaving out of conversations? What other groups of people are absent from the table where decisions are regularly made on behalf of everyone? Can I help create space for more voices, which undoubtedly make for more inclusive debate and decisions that are better for more people in the end?
Meanwhile, I applaud the kids of Parkland, and those children across the country who are now organizing actions to make us listen and reconsider a seemingly intractable situation. They are like the thousands of kids of Birmingham, Alabama in 1964 who participated in weeks of civil disobedience and got the world to pay attention to the unacceptable violence of racist practices and policies. Change happened because of their bravery, and today’s kids may be just as powerful and productive if we listen and follow their lead for a change.
May we listen, O God. May we create space for new voices. May we follow those who dare to lead.