The calls we’re seeing at the national and statewide level for increased police presence is nothing new. After the Columbine school shooting in 1999, we saw an increase in police assigned to schools across the country, but a decrease in school violence was not the outcome. Instead, this further entrenched police in schools and led to the criminalization of Black and Brown students whose behavior was deemed criminal.

On April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine shooting, students will again organize actions and school walkouts nationwide to bring awareness to the epidemic of mass violence and the need for real solutions. We urge all students to register for our April 18, webinar Walkout for What: Using Social Media to Amplify School Walkouts to talk about how they can best use social media to make sure the world is watching and listening to students of color. We’ll talk strategies, tactics, and hashtags and answer your most pressing social media questions.

The fight against gun violence is nothing without the voices of the directly impacted. Harness the full power of the internet to amplify your voice and sign up for the call today.