Get out and vote. If you can't vote, then register other people to vote. Get people to the polls; make sure that people who need to vote can vote.
Interpretation
Participating in the electoral process is crucial, and encouraging others to do the same boosts democracy.
Emma Gonzalez emphasizes the importance of civic engagement through voting. Her quote highlights that not only should individuals make their voices heard by voting, but they should also support and assist others in the voting process to ensure broader participation, which is vital for a healthy democracy.
In practice
Inspiring high school students during a civic engagement workshop.
What matters is that the majority of American people have become complacent in a senseless injustice that occurs all around them. What matters is that most American politicians have become more easily swayed by money than by the people who voted them into office.
Mental illness and gun violence are not directly correlated, but when the two go hand in hand, Americans - often children - lose their lives.
If I'm able to communicate one thing to adults, it would be this: it should not be easier to purchase a gun than it is to obtain a driver's license, and military-grade weapons should not be accessible in civilian settings.
In a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us. Fifteen were injured. And everyone - absolutely everyone - in the Douglas Community was forever altered.
You might not be a big fan of politics, but you can still participate. All you need to do is vote for people you believe will work on these issues, and if they don't work the way they should, then it is your responsibility to call them, organize a town hall, and demand that they show up - hold them accountable.
If you want to help arm the schools, arm them with school supplies, books, therapists - things they actually need and can make use of.
I still lie awake at night thinking about everything that could have been, that wasn't done to stop 9/11. To the 9/11 families, I said, you deserve better from your entire government. All of us.
Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence.
Because I'm a civil rights activist, I am also an animal rights activist. Animals and humans suffer and die alike. Violence causes the same pain, the same spilling of blood, the same stench of death, the same arrogant, cruel and vicious taking of life. We shouldn't be a part of it.
I really want to help stop violence toward women.
**** the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!
Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional. Our only choice is a question of engagement. Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection.
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