Dear Parkland

We hear you.

Across the nation and around the world, we hear you.

Your anguish. Your pain. Your sacrifice. Your fears. And, incredibly, your strength.

The strength of your words as you fight back against the tears that have changed you, and against an establishment that has ignored you.

The strength of your convictions as you face the people in power who would rather sell weapons of war than create policies of peace.

The strength of your hearts as you refuse to back down from anyone who says you’re too young, or too inexperienced, or don’t know how the world works. MLK was young once. Gandhi was inexperienced. Malala was told she didn’t know how the world worked. And yet with just their voices, they changed the world.

We hear you today as you fight for those who were unable to fight for themselves last week. Who sacrificed their lives so others may live. Whose final thoughts were to save the friends who are now fighting, so others won’t have to experience the tragedy you have.

You are an inspiration to a world who knows this country can and should do better for our children and educators, who want nothing more than to build a future with a foundation of hope, rather than on the graves of those we loved.

We will hear you tomorrow, and forever, as your voices echo the change needed that will transform our nation and our world into a safer, more secure place for generations to come.

Around the world and across the nation, we stand in solidarity with you and cry in unison #NeverAgain.

For you are the voices of the future.

And we will always hear you.