GREAT BARRINGTON, MA—On April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, students across the country will walk out of classes in protest of gun violence in their communities. Bard College at Simon’s Rock students invite area students and adults to join them in a local march in Great Barrington.

March for Our Lives The walkout will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Protesters will gather at the Mason Library, 231 Main Street and proceed to the town hall. There will be speeches at the start and end of the event. Visit the Simon's Rock March Against Gun Violence Facebook page for more information and to sign up to speak.

“We are encouraged by the platform youth have created and we aim to broaden this movement, acknowledge our privileges, and give greater voice to people who are being forgotten,” said sophomore student organizer Ankur Chakrabarti Roybarman. “Fundamentally and systemically, the United States continues to marginalize and discriminate against people based on race, nationality, class, mental health, the label of criminality, gender, and sexual minority status, and any combination of these and other stigmatized characteristics.”

Simon's Rock students want to expand the national discourse around gun violence, which too often overlooks many who are disproportionately impacted. "We cannot forget people who are at risk of suicide, people of color shot by police and by civilians, people of color in other countries being killed by U.S. armed forces. We cannot forget that people who have mental health issues, people who are racialized as criminals, trans people, and others who deviate from the so-called “norm” are actually victims rather than perpetrators of historical and ongoing violence," Roybarman continued. "So, on the anniversary of Columbine High School, Simon’s Rock students will walk and speak to elevate the stories of those trodden under nation. Join us, walk with us, speak with us, and be heard."

(press release sent to WSBS from Bard College at Simon's Rock for online and on-air use; photo used by permission) 

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