I am of a generation that has had threats of terrorism, constant mass shootings, and vast amounts of hatred looming over our heads.

Dreams of a child playing with toys have quickly turned into nightmares of sitting in a classroom surrounded by the vacant eyes of once alive classmates.

It’s the epidemic of the 21st century, and we have made no strides to resolve the matter. Anxiety and depression are common names for the youth of today.

We have been handed a decaying world and told to fix what seemingly cannot be fixed.

We are scared.

Racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, bigotry, have all become laughing matters—the butt of all jokes of society.

Why do we joke about the these things? Why is it funny? I am scared.

I want to get older. Yet the earths decaying faster than I can mature, school shooters are getting guns faster than I can learn, and racism is growing faster than I can grow.

How can I make a change? I’m a young girl from a small town in Alabama— those two facts alone allow many to diminish my fight before they even know what I stand for.

I haven’t forgotten Columbine, I haven’t forgotten Sandy Hook, I haven’t forgotten Stoneman Douglas, and everyone in between.

I haven’t forgotten when I was in elementary school and my brother came home with fear in his eyes, one of his fellow middle schoolers threatened to bomb the school.

I will not forget the feeling as I write this, a threat has been made to my high school set to happen on Halloween Day 2018.

I am scared. And at this point I am defenseless.

I am defenseless because who will listen to me?

Society has refused to remember Columbine, refused to remember Sandy hook, refused to remember Stoneman Douglas, and they will refuse to remember me.