A Year After The Horrific Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting, Students Are Still Trying to Recover from Deep Wounds.
Seventeen students and staff members were killed, and seventeen others were injured during the unimaginable shooting in South Florida.
It was announced as the deadliest high school shooting in the United States history, even surpassing the Columbine High School massacre.
The political outcome of this shooting was ponderous and heavily televised. People were not afraid to protest against the government. Many parents have spoken clearly and loudly about their feelings over gun control laws. The survivors, students themselves took up the courage and worked onerously to change these laws.
But what happened to those kids we did not see protesting? How about the ones who did not get involved in the political outcome?
I found and talked to Emily, Alexa, Kelsie and Joey who are the students of Stoneman Douglas High School. These students did not get in front of the media or the news cameras after the heartbreaking event. They told me that they did not know how to get involved since they did not want to get involved with the political part of the shooting aftermath. They felt like they were left out. They indicated that not being a part of the protests held them back from healing from this trauma properly. They felt like they did not have a right to mourn if it didn’t involve politics.
They were seeking to feel happy again. These students were seeking understanding and learning from their experience of pain. They found it in an art form.
A few Stoneman Douglas students turned their grief into an art form by painting beautiful murals.
In the Yard of Wilton Manors, there is a pretty unique place called Lola’s Bazaar Market. If you haven’t been there yet, you should go one of these weekends.
Right outside of Lola’s Bazaar Market, here is a wall standing tall with grief. The talent of these students will catch you with surprise if you realize that the artists of the murals are high school kids. Reflecting their grief so beautifully onto the walls, not caring much on political policies. When I asked them how on earth they are such good artists, they proudly noted that they have an amazing art teacher who helped them.
I wouldn’t know anything about these students if my mentor and dear friend who has an awesome record shop at this place didn’t take me there to show me. If you are into music and looking for unique records you haven’t found for some time, you should also visit him at Lola’s Market.
So what makes the art reflecting on the walls so unique you may say… It is the grief in the eyes of the young artists… Go visit and share the memory of February 14th, 2018 forever…
