Casey Hughes (HPHS Class of 2020)

i’ve been trying to collect my thoughts into sensible words for the past 24 hours but simply can’t comprehend the tragedy that has just occurred in my hometown. 

almost every day, we turn on the news to a headline about a mass shooting somewhere far away from our own homes. we are so desensitized to it that when it is not directly affecting us, we grieve for the people whose lives were affected, but then ultimately move on with our days.


it wasn’t until this happened in my home, that i realized how quickly the world moves on—and frankly, how disturbing that is. is it going to take every affluent neighborhood across america to experience these atrocities for change to occur? is it going to take government officials’ very own family members to be blown up by rifles for them to change their minds about who can—NO ONE SHOULD—own explosive weapons? and how can you lead a nation with such hypocrisy as to say that you are pro-life, but turn your back when guns are the very thing taking innocent lives every day.


my friends couldn’t comprehend the way that people are continuing to go out, post on social media, and celebrate the fourth of July as if nothing happened. my response was “when it wasn’t Highland Park in the headlines, we did the same exact thing”. i urge you to think about your actions for a moment. even if you are not directly affected, in many ways you are. this could have been your very own home. be conscious of people who are grieving and let the irony of the tragedy sink in—a mass shooting occurred on the day that is meant to celebrate all of America’s “greatness”.


please do not wait until your town, your family, your friends, become just another statistic. allowing ourselves to be desensitized to gun violence is surrendering to gun violence. we need to see change. every voice matters.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Home Away From Home

19 years ago at 22 years old, I accepted my very first job as a 4th grade teacher at Ravinia school in Highland Park. I had dreamed of being a teacher from the time I was 5 years old. My passion for working with children only grew with age. I knew the important role a teacher could play in a child’s life. I didn’t just want to teach, I wanted to support the social emotional health of all children. I wanted to provide my students with the tools and skills to handle all life’s challenges. Teaching them the academics wasn’t my concern. I knew I could do that if I could create a safe space for each of them to be who they needed to be. Teaching each and every 9 and 10 year old to love themselves for who they are, to treat others with kindness and compassion, to navigate difficult interactions, and to just show up each day, was my mission.  Today, I look back on all of my classes, all of my students, their families, and their friends. I want to reach out to all them! I want to make sure ...
Read more

Michelle Yale

I was not there   My family was not there  But my community, my people, they were there  My heart was there It is shattered  I feel like there is a crying child sitting on my chest  I am grateful for the heroes and the helpers I realize that our only way forward  Our only way out Is to implement change Real change We are strong together We are HP Strong
Read more

Paige Oleff (DHS Class of 2014)

  Although I am not technically a Highland Park resident, I still consider HP to be my home. I grew up in Deerfield but my father and his brothers all attended and graduated HPHS. My grandparents still live in Highland Park.  I used to love listening to the stories about my dad and his brothers as teens in the 80's running around and living carefree in their town of Highland Park. Even the oral surgeon who performed my wisdom teeth surgery last August in Highland Park (located right off Central where the horrific massacre took place) knew my dad and his brothers and described this era as "The Charlie Brown days." Meaning, this town didn't have a care in the world. Friends, Family and neighbors felt SAFE. My grandparents were not worried about their teenagers running around Highland Park with their friends because they didn't have to. No one could have ever imagined that this place we call home would become "ground zero" for another mass shooting.  I alwa...
Read more